Global ticket purchases via mobile and desktop devices including smartphones, tablets and PCs will total 32 billion by 2019, up from an estimated 16.2 billion this year, predicts Juniper Research. This represents a two-fold growth over the next 4 years.
The research found that with digital ticketing services developing fast across the transport and events sector, mobile handsets will account for more than 1 in 2 digital tickets purchased by 2019.
According to Juniper, in almost every market, metro and bus ticketing was being driven by mobile phone usage. The low price, high frequency and high volume nature of metro/bus ticketing was found to be particularly suited for mobile payments.
In addition, it was found that Metro/bus ticketing is gaining traction through barcodes delivered via smartphone apps, and through SMS-based solutions, with the latter witnessing impressive user adoption in markets such as Sweden and Italy.
The research observed that ticketing apps will become key for wearable devices, such as smartwatches. “Smartwatches with NFC capability offer a convenient replacement for contactless debit-cards and smartphones. Integrating new devices and wearables should be a key strategic directive for all players across the ticketing value chain,” notes research author Nitin Bhas.
However, the research notes that a number of challenges, including scanning capabilities and battery life, needs to be addressed for wider adoption.
The report also suggests that Apple Pay will create a greater awareness of contactless payments via smartphones, resulting in higher adoption and usage of mobile ticketing.
Juniper also believes that one in three airline boarding passes will be issued via mobile devices by 2019.
The whitepaper, Ticketing Takes Off, is available to download from the Juniper website here togther with details of the full research and Interactive Forecast Excel (IFxl).
