Imagine you’re in the NYC subway. You have to get across town and your train is about to leave. You sprint over to a kiosk and navigate through a complex series of screens to find the right pass. It is taking forever. You fumble as you attempt to insert your cash because it is not recognizing the magnetic strip on your credit card. Finally you receive the ticket as the last train pulls away! Enter mobile ticketing.
Check out the video above to see how mobile ticketing works in Japan. Ok, maybe not, but in all seriousness...
What is Mobile Ticketing?
Mobile ticketing refers to someone who purchases a ticket and stores it on his or her phone for later use.
What Does The Future Hold?
Juniper Research predicts that 2 billion mobile tickets will be delivered in 2010 and 15 billion by
2015.
What Are The Benefits?
- Reduced costs of ticket printing/mailing.
- Improved consumer convenience.
- Reduced infrastructure costs.
- Increased revenue by increasing accessibility to tickets.
What Technologies Are Being Leveraged?
- Barcode – once you purchase the ticket, you receive a barcode that’s displayed on your screen, which is scanned at the station.
- SMS – a text message with either a redemption code or a link to a barcode is delivered to your phone.
- Applications – an iPhone, Blackberry or Android app that allows the smart phone owners to purchase tickets.
- Contactless RFID and NFC – similar to “wave-and-pay” systems that many credit card companies have employed. These both require the phone to have an actual chip in the phone.
Near Field Communication, or NFC, is the latest and standard and is being quickly adopted by the subway system in Japan and some European mass transit systems. NFC is certainly the future of mobile ticketing. In fact, Apple filed a patent for it to be used on the iPhone, integrated with an app that would allow you to book your entire travel itinerary via your phone!
Which Verticals Can Benefit From Mobile Ticketing?
- Mass transit
- Airline check-in
- Cinema ticketing
- Concert/Event ticketing
- Trade shows
- Consumer voucher distribution
What About Vending Machines?
Take a look, getting junk food just got a whole lot easier.
The Social Reach
What has not been touched upon is how this could allow retailers to increase revenue while making it easier for customers to share their experiences. The future of mobile ticketing is indeed bright.
Additional Links
Card and Chip Suppliers to Offer Open Transport Ticketing Standard
Juniper Research's Whitepaper: Mobile Ticket to Ride!
Expanding Mobile Ticketing Globally
Juniper Research: 15 Million Mobile Tickets by 2014
Mobile Ticketing in a Central London Station