In a world where digital is king and fewer people are headed to the theater, Fandango is taking steps to make the traditional movie-going experience more convenient and social. Beginning this past weekend, Facebook users in the US can now purchase select movie tickets for titles like The Magnificent Seven, Storks and Kevin Hart: What Now? directly from their news feed.
“It’s not just about purchasing ease, it’s also about bringing along groups of people,” said Paul Yanover, president of Fandango, regarding the new feature. “Hey, we’re going to see this movie. Why don’t you come along? Great. Boom. Done.”
Although Facebook’s millions of daily users is a great way to reach would-be movie-goers, especially since it’s now an eCommerce platform, that’s not the only way that Fandango is hitting the social circuit. Fandango began allowing users of Apple’s enhanced iPhone messaging app last week to buy tickets directly from a text conversation. The ticket merchant is headed to Snapchat, as well.
“This is about Fandango appearing in these environments in an organic, natural way—the way people communicate with each other now, the way they actually discover, plan and buy,” Yanover said.
As younger audiences opt for digital experiences and one-stop shopping, Fandango is rising to the occasion, servicing about 27,700 movie screens in the United States and growing quickly. Ticketing revenue is up 51 percent compared with the same period last year, a Fandango spokesman told The New York Times. In 2015, Fandango grew by 81 percent and about 70 percent of Fandango tickets are sold on mobile devices.
“We’re really proud of our growth, and people will still come to us, but we’ve spent a lot of time watching how movie discovery and planning is changing,” Yanover said. “And I think these offerings we are unveiling are an important shift, not just for Fandango, but for Hollywood as a whole.”
