Digital ticketing replaces outdated manual checks with a secure, connected system.
Key Takeaways
- Each ticket uses a unique QR code or barcode that’s delivered digitally.
- You have multiple ways to sell digital tickets, from third-party platforms to selling directly on your own site.
- A solid digital ticket setup reduces manual work and prevents fraud.
Selling tickets no longer means printing stacks of paper or dealing with long check-in lines. If you’re hosting a concert, workshop, fundraiser, or online event, digital options give you more flexible ways to sell tickets online and manage attendees. Before you plan your event, it’s important to understand how digital tickets work, so you can decide if they are the right fit for your event.
What Are Digital Tickets?
Digital tickets are essentially electronic versions of the traditional paper tickets you’d use to get into an event. Instead of receiving a physical ticket, your attendees get a ticket delivered to them digitally in an email attachment, a mobile app pass, or a QR code on their phone.
How Does a Digital Ticket Work?
Digital tickets use unique electronic codes to manage entry into your event. Here’s a simple breakdown of how they typically work.
A Unique Ticket Code Is Created
When someone buys a ticket online, the system generates a unique barcode or QR code for that ticket and stores the ticket details in a database. Each digital ticket’s code is one-of-a-kind and can’t be easily copied, which helps prevent fraud.
The Ticket Is Delivered to the Attendee
The ticket is delivered digitally to the buyer. Attendees might receive a PDF ticket with a QR code, an Apple Wallet/Google Wallet pass, or a ticket link by SMS. They can save it on their smartphone or even print it out if needed (for events that allow printed e-tickets).
The Ticket Is Scanned at the Entrance
When the attendee arrives at the event, they present the digital ticket on their phone (or a printout of the e-ticket) to the staff at the entrance. The staff uses a ticket scanner or a scanning app (often just a smartphone app or a handheld scanner) to scan the QR code or barcode on the ticket. The attendee should have their screen brightness up and the code visible so it can be read quickly.
The Ticket Is Verified in Real Time
The scanner is connected to the event’s ticket database via the internet or a local network. Once the ticket is scanned, the system checks that unique code against the database to verify the ticket. If the ticket is valid and hasn’t been used yet, the system will instantly mark it as checked-in and usually show a confirmation (often a green check mark or beep to signal approval).
At this point, the guest can be admitted into the event. If the ticket code has already been used or isn’t found in the database (for instance, if someone tries to use a duplicate or fake), the scanner will alert the staff and deny entry.
How Can You Make Digital Tickets for an Event?
If you’re an event organizer or are looking to start selling digital tickets online, there are a few approachable ways to do it.
Use an Online Ticketing Platform
The simplest route is to use a ticketing service designed for events. Platforms like Eventbrite, Ticketmaster, Ticket Tailor, or Purplepass handle the heavy lifting for you. You can create an event page and set up digital ticket types (general admission, VIP, etc.), and the platform will generate digital tickets for each buyer automatically.
However, these online platforms tend to have very high payment processing and service fees in exchange for the convenience.
Use Your Own Website or Store
If you have your own website or a Shopify site, you can integrate digital ticket sales into it with no coding required. For example, you can sell tickets on Shopify by installing ticketing apps like Evey Events or plugins from the Shopify App Store. These apps allow you to sell event tickets directly on your site and then send out digital tickets to the attendees.
Some Shopify ticketing apps let you design custom-branded tickets (PDF or Apple Wallet passes) that get emailed to your customers, and they include tools for you to scan tickets with a smartphone at the event. This way, you keep everything under your own brand/store while leveraging the app’s ticketing and tracking features.
DIY or Custom Solution
For those who want more control or are running a very small event, you can create digital tickets yourself. This might involve generating unique ticket numbers or QR codes for each attendee and sending them via email manually or through a basic tool.
There are online services and templates that help create tickets (even something as simple as a QR code generator plus a spreadsheet of ticket codes). However, keep in mind you’ll also need a way to verify those tickets at the event. That could be a simple mobile app that scans QR codes and checks them against your list, or you can do so manually.
While a DIY approach is feasible (and possibly cost-saving), it can be labor-intensive and prone to error if not carefully managed. For most cases, using an established digital ticketing system or plugin is worth the time it saves.
What’s the Difference Between a Mobile Ticket and a Digital Ticket?
Digital tickets and mobile tickets are closely related, but they aren’t exactly the same. A digital ticket is any ticket delivered electronically instead of on paper. A mobile ticket is a type of digital ticket made specifically for smartphones. In short, all mobile tickets are digital tickets, but not all digital tickets are mobile-only.
The Best Way To Make Digital Tickets for Any Event
If you want an easier way to sell and manage digital tickets, Evey Events is built for exactly that. It’s an all-in-one ticketing solution for event organizers who want everything in one place, from selling tickets to checking in attendees.
With Evey, you can issue fully branded digital tickets as PDFs, QR codes, or mobile wallet passes, then scan them at the door using a simple mobile app. Because the app integrates directly with Shopify, ticket buyers appear alongside your other customers inside your Shopify dashboard. Evey’s app also works smoothly with the latest Shopify themes, so setup stays simple.
Ready to streamline your events? Explore this powerful Shopify ticketing solution for free and see how much easier managing event ticketing can be.
