A new report from Juniper Research has forecast that nearly 15 billion tickets will be delivered to subscribers' mobile devices worldwide by 2014, compared to just over two billion this year.
The new Mobile Ticketing report 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 the potential of mobile ticketing does not stop there, says Juniper. Major cinema chains, concert organisers and sports teams are latching on to the commercial viability, which is driven by both cost savings and the up-sell revenue potential – not to mention convenience for the user. There are also new entrants from a variety of angles such as apps start-ups and mobile commerce providers seeking to grasp the opportunities they can see.
Report author Howard Wilcox stated: "Although 15 billion sounds large, it is in fact it a small percentage of total tickets issued – there is plenty of scope for innovative solutions to penetrate this market. 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."
Further key findings from the report include:
– Western Europe will be the leading region in 2014 based on number of mobile tickets delivered, taking over from current leader, Far East & China region
– Market constraints include business models and coordinating ticketing schemes across multiple operators