YouGov has published a new survey that has highlighted concerns among UK consumers when purchasing tickets online for live events.
Many worries centre around accidentally buying counterfeit tickets, as well the use of technologies such as AI (artificial intelligence) and blockchain to mitigate fraud.
YouGov surveyed 2,129 UK residents, with 46% saying they had purchased tickets for live events online. Of these respondents, almost half (49%) expressed concerns about being tricked into purchasing counterfeit tickets. The survey showed that women (52%) were more worried about this compared to men (45%).
Despite the concern, just over half of the respondents (51%) felt that AI could effectively combat ticket scalping. This feeling was particularly prevalent among younger adults between 18-24 (65%) and 24-35 (63%).
However, older adults presented less confidence in the technology, with only 41% between the ages of 45-54, and 43% of those over 55, trusting AI’s effectiveness. Elsewhere, 28% of ticket-buyers did not think AI would be effective, with the majority (61%) believing that scalpers would still find ways to bypass detection, and 46% fearing that legitimate customers would be mistakenly flagged.
Alternative technologies, such as blockchain and rotating QR codes, provided three in five respondents (63%) with some comfort when purchasing tickets online. Additionally, 24% of ticket-buyers said they would be willing to pay more for these technologies to ensure the authenticity of tickets – particularly younger adults between 18-24 (45%) and 24-35 (38%).
Older age groups were less willing to pay extra for these safety features, with just 13% aged 45-54 and 14% over 55 expressing support for the additional cost.
The study was conducted online between September 4-5 using a questionnaire designed by market research platform YouGov.
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