While the past few years have been rocky for secondary ticket marketplace Razorgator, the company recently received some positive news and marketing exposure.
The December issue of Kiplinger’s Personal Finance magazine cited the secondary ticketer in its “Best of Everything 2010” article. The business and finance publication identified Razorgator as the “Best site to score game and concert tickets”, highlighting the site’s wide selection of hard-to-find tickets as well as the “Gator Guarantee.” The guarantee, similar to those promoted by other secondary ticket resellers, promises timely delivery of tickets, replacement or reimbursement of tickets which are lost in the mail, and refunds for cancelled events.
Razorgator is the tenth largest secondary ticketer in the country, according to TicketNews’ exclusive rankings.
Kiplinger’s endorsement comes as welcome news for the company, which has seen its share of troubles in recent years. The secondary seller has had four CEO’s in seven years, with Brendan Ross taking the reins most recently in March of 2009. Later that year, the company closed its Phoenix, AZ ecommerce division, laying off staff as it consolidated ecommerce offices to its Los Angeles headquarters.
In July of this year, the company took a $3.5 million hit on poor ticket sales for the World Cup, a loss which reportedly contributed to the layoffs of 24 percent of staff. At the same time, Razorgator changed its business strategy and stopped selling its own ticket inventory, acting instead strictly as a ticket exchange. The company continued to streamline its business, spinning off its PrimeSport division as a separate, independently operating entity.
Razorgator appears to be weathering those storms, and in a recent interview with TicketNews, Chief Operating Officer Nima Moayedi identified the qualities that allow Razorgator to stand out from its peers, qualities similar to those cited in the Kiplinger’s piece. Moayedi emphasized the maintenance of a wide selection of available tickets, the company’s strong commitment to customer service, a user-friendly site, and the establishment of a trusted brand.
Moayedi said he views Kiplinger’s recent praise as proof of the company’s strength and durability in the industry. “It’s an exciting endorsement that simply reinforces the fact that Razorgator has emerged from some historically challenging times to become a trusted destination for customers, and a committed partner to our network of brokers and affiliates. As a cash-flow positive company, we’re all very excited about 2011 and beyond.”
In addition, Moayedi said he sees the company’s anticipated growth as part of the larger recovery of the ticketing industry. “In talking to our colleagues and broker partners, it appears that the industry is breathing a collective sigh of relief as the worst of the recession starts to fade in the rear-view mirror.”