It’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) — the busiest shopping weekend of the year. Consumers are expected to spend an average of $500 on Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales, according to Whiplash — up 12% from 2021.
That means a lot more opportunities for you to sell out your events. But where do you start?
To help you prepare for BFCM, we’ve put together a list of steps you can take to make sure your sales are a resounding success.
8 Powerful Tips for Selling Out Event Tickets this BFCM
Whether you’re planning a small gathering or a large-scale event, here are eight tips to help you pre-sell tickets and maximize your BFCM sales.
1. Start with social proof
In his book, Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert Cialdini discusses the power of social proof or the idea that people are more likely to do something if they see that others are doing it.
The science behind social proof is rooted in our evolution as humans. When we were living in caves and hunting for food, it was essential for us to be part of a tribe. Being part of a group increases our chances of survival, so we’ve evolved into social creatures that crave connection and belonging.
Nowadays, social media has taken social proof to a whole new level. We can see what our friends, family, and even strangers are doing at any given moment. For example, Sunburn not only showcases the celebrities who will be performing at the event but also use social media to encourage spreading the word.
And because we value the opinions of those around us, we’re more likely to do something if we see that others are doing it too.
When it comes to selling event tickets, social proof can be a powerful tool. If you’re selling tickets to a conference, for example, you can list the speakers who will be in attendance. If you’re selling tickets to a concert, you can list the artists who will be performing. Seeing that other person are interested in attending your event will make prospects more likely to buy tickets.
2. Offer early bird pricing
People love a good deal, so offering early bird pricing is a great way to pre-sell tickets to your event.
Early bird pricing is when you offer a discounted price for tickets if they’re purchased by a certain date. For example, you could sell tickets for $50 if they’re purchased a month in advance and then raise the price to $75 for those buying later.
Afrotech, a Black tech, and web3 event offered early bird pricing on their site to encourage buyers.
The added touch of scarcity by mentioning that the early bird sale ends when tickets sell out encourages people to buy quickly.
Early bird pricing is an effective way to generate interest and excitement for your event while also getting people to commit to attending. The key is to make sure that your early bird prices are actually appealing to people.
3. Make tickets available in limited quantities
If you want to create a sense of urgency and encourage people to buy tickets sooner rather than later, make them available in limited quantities — and showcase the limits on every sales page.
People hate missing out on a good deal. When people see that there are only a few tickets left, they’ll be more likely to purchase one before it’s too late.
This is a tactic that ecommerce stores use all the time. They show how many items are left in stock and often offer discounts for products that are about to sell out.
You can use this technique even if you’re not selling physical tickets — you can simply limit the number of spots available for your event. For example, if you’re hosting a workshop with 20 spots available, mention that in your marketing materials. Seeing that there are only a few spots left will make prospects more likely to buy a ticket before it’s too late.
4. Use countdown timers
Countdown timers are excellent tools to create a sense of urgency and encourage people to buy tickets before it’s too late. A countdown timer lets prospects know how much time they have left to take advantage of an offer – in this case, the opportunity to buy tickets at a discounted price.
Kaddex ran a campaign to encourage people to join the new decentralized exchange launch and get early access to their tokens. And since early access also means higher profits over the longer term, interested customers will eagerly wait for the launch!
Countdown timers are most effective when they’re used in conjunction with other urgency-creating techniques, such as early bird pricing or limited ticket availability.
5. Bundle other benefits with tickets
Bundling is another powerful way to encourage more sales. Upselling and cross-selling via product bundles account for 10-30% of ecommerce revenues. There are multiple ways in which you can create product bundles on your Shopify event sales pages.
Offering the bundled benefits as free or discounted add-ons to the event tickets is a business decision that you can make based on your profit margins. Here’s an example of a Season ticket in Orlando City where they offer a lot of benefits along with ticket purchases.
The key is to make the bundled items perfectly relevant to your audience. Offering discounted merch or Buy One Get One (BOGO) tickets can be an easy way to get people to share your event with more people. Since 66% of buyers state that BOGO is their favorite type of deal, it’s something to consider when crafting deals.
7. Offer a discount for group tickets
If you’re selling tickets to a large event, such as a conference or concert, offer a discount for group tickets. This is a great way to increase sales while also making it more affordable for groups of friends or colleagues to attend your event together.
For example, the band Panthers offered multiple tiered benefits to group ticket buyers:
This is also an excellent opportunity to upsell customers who are already interested in your event. Offering group discounts encourages people to buy more tickets, which means more revenue for you. Group ticket deals also encourage customers to talk about your event with more people who you may have otherwise missed it.
8. Give away freebies
People love free stuff, so consider giving away freebies when people purchase tickets to your event. You could begin by offering goodies like T-shirts, caps, or other relevant items with a purchase of tickets. Alternatively, you can start marketing your event with completely free tickets like Flucos did for their local football event.
While this may not always be possible, offering a few initial tickets for free or at a significant discount can help you get the word out. You can then earn the money back by upselling during or after the event.
Ready to sell out your event tickets this BFCM?
Successfully selling event tickets requires multiple things to work together. The above tips are not just applicable during BFCM but can be applied across all of your events. Consider them as some of the best practices for selling more tickets.
Promoting your events is one part — you also need a seamless ticketing platform so customers don’t drop off during checkout. If you have a Shopify website, you can try Evey Events — a powerful event ticketing app designed for ease of use for customers and store owners.
Evey helps you easily create and manage your events, sell tickets online, and track sales and attendees. Plus, it integrates with Shopify POS so you can accept payments directly at the venue as well.
And with its free to use mobile apps, you can scan attendee tickets at the venue to track attendees and confirm attendance with a few taps.
