Everybody loves Costco. It’s an immutable fact of modern life. But will they add tickets to their bulk purchases?
AXS hopes so.
The AEG ticketing platform announced a partnership with the retail giant to sell tickets for AEG and other events, according to Dave Brooks in Billboard Magazine. Part of the AXS Anywhere distribution platform, the partnership with Costco joins similar arrangements for the ticketing operation with Groupon, Goldstar, and Gametime.
Ticketmaster already has a similar integration with Costco, which has over 700 locations across the country and is based in Washington.
“We’re putting our tickets in places where customers are spending time,” says Senior VP of AXS Digital, Blaine Legere. “Each of these partners have their own distinct loyal followers that fit their own niche. Anytime we can put one of our partners in front of the right group, at the right price, there is an opportunity to bring someone to our venues for the first time.
“[Costco has] an incredible database of loyal consumers who love the Costco brand and also go to live events,” he said. “If I’m on Costco.com, I should know what events are taking place in my marketplace and if they’re available to me I can purchase them and seamlessly transact.”
With tickets available to be pushed to these various partners and validated in real time, AXS is building a network where more and more eyeballs can be engaged right up to the beginning of an event, with last minute distribution through e-tickets a part of the package.
Whether or not the 85-odd million value shoppers of Costco will prove a lucrative avenue for AXS remains to be seen, but retail partnerships for ticketing companies go back to the dawn of the computerized ticket sale, when Ticketmaster outlets dotted the American department store landscape with off-location ticket purchasing opportunities. AXS is merely taking a time-tested method of marketing and bringing it to a new vendor.
