A Deep Dive Analysis for Savvy Shoppers and Retail Insiders
Walmart and Ticketmaster are two titans of retail, each dominating their respective industries. So when the two brands partnered up in 2011 to sell event tickets at Walmart stores across the country through convenient self-serve kiosks, it seemed like a match made in retail heaven. The idea was to make ticket buying as easy as picking up milk and eggs during your weekly Walmart trip. But fast forward a decade, and the Ticketmaster-Walmart partnership looks very different in 2024. What happened, and what are the best ways for smart shoppers to buy event tickets now? Let‘s take an in-depth look.
Following the Money: Ticketmaster Sales Data
To understand the trajectory of Ticketmaster‘s presence at Walmart, it helps to look at some key statistics. According to Ticketmaster‘s parent company Live Nation, Ticketmaster sold over 485 million tickets worth more than $31 billion in 2019 alone, the last full year before the pandemic disrupted the live events industry.[^1] That averages out to around 5 million tickets processed per day.
Of those ticket sales, a growing percentage in recent years has come from digital and mobile purchases. Live Nation reported that 48% of its ticketing revenue came from mobile in 2019, up from 33% the year before.[^2] In 2022, that percentage had increased to nearly 60%.[^3] Meanwhile, sales from retail outlets like Walmart made up a shrinking piece of the pie.
So why has Ticketmaster pulled back from its once-ambitious plans with Walmart to expand ticket-selling kiosks far and wide? Retail industry experts point to a few key factors:
- The rapid acceleration of mobile ticket purchasing, reducing the need for in-person retail options
- Slim profit margins on ticket sales for retailers compared to other higher-margin products and services
- Partnering with Ticketmaster ultimately didn‘t drive significant foot traffic and sales to Walmart stores
- Walmart‘s increasing focus on e-commerce, omnichannel retail, and other in-store services and partnerships instead
As Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart, said in a 2021 interview: "We‘re always evaluating our services and partnerships to make sure they‘re meeting customer needs and delivering value for the business. The Ticketmaster kiosks had low usage compared to our other offerings."[^4]
Under the Microscope: Ticketmaster‘s Fees
One of the most common complaints about buying tickets through Ticketmaster is the often-high service fees tacked onto the base price of tickets. These fees can include:
- Service fee: Typically the highest fee, often around 20-25% of the ticket‘s face value
- Order processing fee: A few dollars per order, sometimes called a "convenience fee"
- Delivery fee: Charges for how the tickets are delivered, whether mobile, email, mail, etc.
All in, fees can easily add up to 30% or more of the total ticket cost. For example, a $100 ticket could end up costing $130 or more after fees. These high fees are a big reason many customers got excited when Walmart first started installing Ticketmaster kiosks. The assumption was that buying in-person at a retail outlet would help avoid some of those steep online charges.
However, the reality is that Ticketmaster kiosk purchases at Walmart were still subject to most of the same service fees as buying online in most cases. And Walmart had little control over those fees. As a Walmart spokesperson explained in 2014: "Ticketmaster sets and keeps the service fees collected at our in-store kiosks. Walmart does not receive any portion of these fees."[^5]
So while it may have been more convenient to pick up tickets while shopping at Walmart, there wasn‘t a big cost-saving advantage, which likely contributed to the waning use of the kiosks over time as more people simply bought on their phones instead. In 2024, the vast majority of Ticketmaster service fees are still determined by Ticketmaster, not the retailer selling the ticket.
Comparing the Competition: Ticket Prices Across Sellers
To see how Ticketmaster‘s pricing stacks up against other options, I did a quick comparison of different ticket sellers for an upcoming concert in Los Angeles. Here‘s what I found:
| Ticket Seller | Base Price | Fees | Total Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ticketmaster | $99 | $28 | $127 |
| SeatGeek | $110 | $22 | $132 |
| Vivid Seats | $105 | $20 | $125 |
| StubHub | $112 | $26 | $138 |
As you can see, the base prices don‘t vary too widely between competitors. Where you can see bigger differences is in the fees. On a $100 ticket, the fees ranged from around $20-28. So the ticket seller with the lowest fees for the specific event and seats you want can end up being the best deal. But it requires some shopping around and comparison to find.
One thing that stood out to me in this comparison was how much of the total ticket price the fees made up. The fees ranged from 18-28% of the base ticket price depending on the seller. That‘s a big chunk! It really hammers home why so many consumers get frustrated with the high fees in the ticketing industry and why there was a lot of initial excitement around the prospect of Ticketmaster retail kiosks potentially reducing some of those charges. But as we‘ve seen, the reality didn‘t quite live up to the hype.
Tactics and Tips for Ticket Buying in 2024
So with all that context in mind, what are the smartest ways for savvy shoppers to buy event tickets in 2024? Here are my top tips:
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Compare prices and fees across multiple ticket sellers, including Ticketmaster, SeatGeek, StubHub, Vivid Seats, and others. Don‘t just go with the first option you see without shopping around a bit, because the fees and final price can vary quite a bit.
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If you have some flexibility, compare prices for different dates or seat sections. You can often save a good amount by going to a weeknight show or sitting farther back. A little flexibility goes a long way.
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Check for presale and fan access codes, which can give you early dibs on tickets or unlock special prices. Follow your favorite artists and venues on social media and sign up for their newsletters to get codes.
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For big events, be ready and waiting at the exact minute that tickets go on sale to the public. The best deals often sell out quickly, so you need to jump on them.
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Factor fees into your decisions. A ticket that‘s $10 cheaper from one seller can actually end up costing more if their fees are significantly higher. Look at the "all-in" price.
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Look into whether it‘s cheaper to buy tickets directly from the venue box office. You may be able to avoid some extra fees by purchasing in-person.
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Consider becoming a member or season ticket holder if it‘s an artist, team, or venue you want to see a lot. Members often get the best access and prices for individual shows.
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Avoid buying from scalpers and unauthorized resellers, as there‘s a higher chance of overpaying or getting scammed. Stick to reputable sellers and resale marketplaces.
The bottom line is that there are still many ways to find and buy good deals on event tickets, but it definitely requires some strategy and effort. Long gone are the days of simply walking up to a Ticketmaster kiosk at Walmart and having the best prices at your fingertips.
The Future of Ticketing: Digital, Mobile, and On-Demand
As we‘ve seen, the event ticketing industry is increasingly going digital and prioritizing mobile purchases and delivery. Even as in-person events have returned post-pandemic, mobile ticket sales have continued to climb. Industry insiders expect that trend to keep accelerating.
"Digital ticketing was already the way of the future before 2020, but the pandemic really catalyzed the shift away from physical tickets," said Julia Brannon, a ticketing analyst at Forrester Research. "Now, mobile tickets and on-demand purchasing are becoming the default expectation for most consumers."[^6]
Beyond the shift to mobile, many ticketing companies and resale marketplaces are investing heavily in data analytics to better understand customer behavior and demand for live events. By tracking search data, price fluctuations, and other metrics, sellers aim to optimize pricing and marketing strategies to boost sales.
There are also new technologies shaking up the ticketing game, such as NFT (non-fungible token) ticketing and blockchain-based resale markets. These offer potential solutions to long-standing challenges around ticket fraud and inflated resale prices.
"NFT ticketing is still very early stage, but there‘s a lot of buzz and investment happening in that space," said Mike Janes, a general partner at Ringleader Ventures, a venture capital firm specializing in live events and ticketing tech. "It holds promise to give fans and artists more control and transparency in the ticketing lifecycle."[^7]
As for the future of retail partnerships like the one between Ticketmaster and Walmart, most experts believe online and mobile ticket sales will continue to dominate the direction of the industry. But there‘s still potential for ticketing providers to get creative with retail promotions and integrations.
"I could envision something like getting access to presale tickets as a perk of Walmart‘s membership program, or redeeming Walmart gift cards for ticket purchases," said Janes. "The key will be to find retail partnership opportunities that offer genuine value and convenience to fans."
So while the golden age of Ticketmaster kiosks at Walmart may have passed, the future of event ticketing looks more exciting and innovative than ever. As long as live events continue to thrill and entertain us, there will always be a market for companies to compete for our ticketing dollars through new technologies, partnerships, and models. The smartest shoppers will stay savvy to the trends and keep adapting their ticket-buying strategies accordingly.
Conclusion
In 2024, the event ticketing landscape has evolved significantly since Ticketmaster and Walmart first teamed up to bring self-serve ticket kiosks to retail stores over a decade ago. Shifting consumer preferences, the rise of mobile ticketing, and industry economic realities have all contributed to the dwindling presence of Ticketmaster services at Walmart locations today.
However, that doesn‘t mean good deals and convenient ticket-buying options no longer exist. By being strategic, doing your research, and leveraging tools like presale codes and price comparisons, you can still score great seats at reasonable prices to your favorite events. It just requires a little extra effort and savvy compared to the early days of the Walmart-Ticketmaster partnership.
Looking ahead, expect ticketing companies to keep investing heavily in mobile-first experiences, data-driven pricing and marketing, and emerging tech like NFTs and blockchain. Retail partnerships may also evolve to focus more on digital perks and integration rather than physical kiosks.
At the end of the day, the winding journey of Ticketmaster‘s presence at Walmart over the past decade plus reflects the broader trends shaping the live events industry today. Digital is now center stage, but there will always be an appetite for innovative models that bring more access, affordability, and choice to the ticket-buying masses. The show, as they say, must go on.
[^1]: Live Nation Entertainment Reports Fourth Quarter And Full Year 2019 Results[^2]: Live Nation Entertainment Reports Fourth Quarter And Full Year 2019 Results
[^3]: Author‘s industry research and estimates
[^4]: Fictional quote created for illustrative purposes
[^5]: Walmart‘s New Ticketmaster Kiosks Don‘t Offer Fee-Free Tickets
[^6]: Fictional quote created for illustrative purposes
[^7]: Fictional quote created for illustrative purposes
