Brief:
- SeatGeek, the online marketplace for tickets to live events, partnered with ride-hailing startup Lyft to make it easier for fans to reserve rides to and from stadiums, theaters, arenas and other venues for live entertainment. Fans who request a Lyft ride through the SeatGeek app will automatically have their seat location featured in the Lyft app to ensure that the driver drops them off as close to their seats as possible, according to a press release.
- The partnership kicks off next season at Providence Park, where Major League Soccer's Portland Timbers play home games. Riders will be eligible to receive exclusive discounts on their Lyft rides when booking through the SeatGeek app.
- SeatGeek said the Lyft partnership will improve the experience for fans traveling to live events. The company also said ride sharing will save fans from walking as much as half an hour to big stadium venues.
Insight:
The new partnership is the latest move by SeatGeek to find collaborations with other companies for cross-promotions on their mobile apps that provide a more seamless experience for their customers. SeatGeek’s Lyft-booking feature likely will provide greater convenience to attendees of live events who may want to avoid the typical transportation hassles of seeing a major sporting event or concert, while streamlining the pick-up and drop-off process of ride hailing.
The Lyft news comes two months after SeatGeek partnered with Snap to let fans buy event tickets directly from the Snapchat app. The Los Angeles Football Club was the first team to sell tickets through the app, which is another sign that mobile devices are quickly becoming the predominant ticketing platform. Mobile and wearable device ticket purchases this year are forecast to reach 14 billion globally to make up 54% of total digital ticket sales for transportation and events, Juniper Research said in a report.
The Seatgeek relationship could help Lyft connect with more tech-savvy consumers. While Lyft has a smaller market share than rival Uber, its partnerships with Netflix and other innovative campaigns have helped it pick up more younger customers, especially in a tight and evolving market.
Ride-hailing companies like Lyft are facing new threats from cities that seek to ease congestion caused by idle drivers who are waiting for their next fare. New York City this month passed regulations that cap the number of ride-sharing vehicles for one year and require that drivers be paid a minimum wage. While drivers and taxi fleets praised the move, consumers are faced with the likelihood of higher prices for ride-share services. Uber and Lyft criticized the rules for reducing the availability of transportation to parts of New York that are underserved by public buses and subways, per CNBC. New York City's one-year cap on ride-hailing services may inspire other cities like Philadelphia to consider similar measures, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
