Mobile ticketing is on the rise, with Juniper Research forecasting that nearly 15 billion tickets will be delivered to subscribers’ mobile devices worldwide by 2014.
That compares to just over 2 billion mobile tickets this year.
Juniper found that “services are developing fastest in the transport sector, with SMS, bar code and, increasingly, app driven services being offered by rail and metro companies and airlines.”
But it notes that cinema chains, concert organisers and sports teams are also latching on to the commercial viability of m-ticketing.
This increased interest in m-ticketing is “driven by both cost savings and the up-sell revenue potential” and user convenience.
There are also new m-ticketing entrants, such as apps start-ups and mobile commerce providers, that are seeking to grasp mobile ticketing opportunities, said Juniper.
“Although 15 billion [tickets by 2014] sounds large, it is in fact it a small percentage of total tickets issued,” states report author, Howard Wilcox.
“There is plenty of scope for innovative solutions to penetrate this market.
“[The] next steps will see more widespread purchasing on mobiles, as well as use of NFC tickets. Currently however there are only limited examples of NFC ticketing usage outside of the Far East owing to the lack of device availability.”
Western Europe will be the leading m-ticket region by 2014 based on number of mobile tickets delivered, taking over from current leader, the Far East & China region.