Ticketmaster is known for showing more tickets available for an event than are actually available. This often leads to frustration for customers when they go to purchase tickets and find them “sold out” despite being shown as available just moments before. So why does Ticketmaster display these “phantom” tickets?
To drive urgency and demand
Showing extra ticket inventory that is not actually available is a tactic used by Ticketmaster to create a sense of urgency and high demand for an event. By making it appear like tickets are selling out very quickly, it encourages fans to buy their tickets right away before missing out.
This tactic takes advantage of a psychological principle called “scarcity bias.” When people believe an item is scarce or limited, they assign more value to it and become more motivated to obtain it. Ticketmaster is essentially manufacturing scarcity to drive sales.
Displaying high ticket demand also helps generate buzz and media coverage for big events. The perception that tickets are selling out fast creates headlines that provide free publicity.
To allow for flexible inventory management
Another reason Ticketmaster may show extra tickets is to give themselves flexibility in inventory management. As they process sales and reserves for various groups like VIPs or fan club presales, it is difficult to adjust inventory perfectly in real-time.
By displaying some buffer of extra tickets, it prevents “sold out” statuses from happening prematurely. It allows them to process all the backend ticket transactions before the general onsale begins. Essentially, the phantom tickets buy them more time before opening up sales to the public.
To cover for inaccuracies in ticket counts
In some cases, the extra tickets might be shown due to fundamental issues with tracking exact ticket inventory. Venues and events often have complex seating arrangements and sections that make tallying total ticket counts difficult. Ticketmaster may intentionally display slightly higher numbers to account for potential inaccuracies.
Tickets held for artist and promoter guests, production staff, and other industry personnel also make it hard to determine exact available quantities for the public. The buffer of extra tickets gives Ticketmaster a margin of error.
To serve platinum and resale tickets
In recent years, Ticketmaster has begun showing platinum tickets and resale tickets from the secondary market alongside standard ticket inventory. Platinum tickets are dynamically priced higher for high demand events. The resale tickets come from season ticket holders and other fans reselling through Ticketmaster’s system.
These platinum and resale tickets essentially function as a separate pool of inventory. However, Ticketmaster does not make the distinction clear on their site. By lumping them together with standard tickets, it creates the illusion of more total tickets being available.
To hide how quickly tickets actually sell
Displaying extra available tickets, especially at the beginning of a sale, can mask just how quickly real inventory gets purchased. Ticketmaster has a vested interested in hiding this information from the general public.
If fans realized how instantly tickets sell out, they might criticize Ticketmaster for not doing enough to stop scalpers and bots. Ticketmaster can maintain the perception of a fair onsale by starting with inflated inventory numbers.
In extreme cases, they have been accused of beginning sales with more phantom tickets than real ones. This makes the sale appear smooth and seamless, even as all real tickets get scooped up instantly.
To redirect customers to higher-priced tickets
Another tactic enabled by showing tickets that are not actually for sale is steering customers to higher price points. Ticketmaster can use the phantom inventory to smooth the transition as better tickets “sell out” over the course of a sale.
As customers click to purchase tickets, they are incrementally moved over to more expensive options without experiencing a hard “sold out.” Ticketmaster avoids angry customers by always offering tickets for purchase, even as lower price bands vanish.
To cross-sell customers to related events
Similarly, Ticketmaster can utilize the phantom ticket ploy to cross-sell and upsell customers into related events and performances.
For example, someone looking for sold out concert tickets may get steered into buying tickets for another nearby show on a different date by that same artist. Or a customer Unable to get prime floor seats could get offered better seats at a different venue. This allows Ticketmaster to turn a sold out event into an opportunity.
To discourage bulk ticket buying
Displaying extra tickets can also function to discourage bulk buying by ticket brokers and resellers. These bulk buyers utilize bots and automated programs to gobble up as many tickets as possible.
By making it appear that ticket supply is higher than it really is, it reduces the incentive for bulk buyers to attempt grabbing very large quantities. This helps preserve more tickets for genuine fans to purchase directly.
To cut down on webpage crashes
There are also technical reasons why Ticketmaster may opt to show inflated inventory. As huge volumes of eager fans flood the website all at once when tickets go on sale, it risks crashing servers and overload the site.
Displaying fewer available tickets than truly exist risks the website getting overwhelmed right as the sale starts. Servers crash and fans become frustrated. Padding the visible ticket count reduces strain on the backend infrastructure.
It also gives Ticketmaster engineers more time to scale up capacity. As phantom tickets sell out first, real inventory is exposed gradually rather than all at once in a huge initial spike.
To advertise Ticketmaster’s services
On a broader level, even the appearance of tickets sold by Ticketmaster provides inherent advertising value. Fans see the Ticketmaster brand and interface receiving heavy traffic and activity. This reinforces Ticketmaster’s dominant position in the ticketing industry.
So the phantom tickets act kind of like a commercial for Ticketmaster baked into the ticket buying process. Even tickets that don’t exist promote their ticketing platform and services.
Conclusion
In summary, Ticketmaster allows phantom tickets to be displayed and sold on their platform for a variety of reasons:
- To drive urgency and demand
- To provide flexibility in inventory management
- To account for inaccuracies in ticket counts
- To incorporate platinum and resale tickets
- To hide how quickly the best tickets sell out
- To redirect customers to higher price tickets
- To cross-sell customers to other events
- To discourage bulk buying by ticket brokers
- To reduce strain on their servers
- To provide inherent advertising value
This practice leads to a poor ticket buying experience for fans, who often feel misled. But Ticketmaster evidently views it as a useful tactic for maximizing revenues. Unless customers push back, the prevalence of phantom tickets is unlikely to change anytime soon.
