Name: Tennille Rice

Student ID: 2553644

Unit: eBusiness Fundamentals

Unit Code: BC501

Due Date: 26/04/07

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 Executive Summary

In this report, three ticket-selling websites were looked at in relation to the

effectiveness and useability of their websites. Ticketek, Ticketmaster and Moshtix
were all compared and it was found that Moshtix’s website made the most favourable
impression upon a potential customer. The ease of use, attractive front and bonus
features all pointed to a positive focus on customer service and worked favourably for
the company. In addition, the comprehensive contact option and the importance
placed on security put them ahead of their competitors.

Ticketek and Ticketmaster also had their positive points – Ticketek boasted an easy,
step-by-step purchase process and Ticketmaster had a smart-looking home page with
an impressive help facility. Moshtix, however, had fantastic basic features and also
bonus features that made it stand out as the website of choice for potential consumers.

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 Content Page

1.0 Introduction 4
2.0 Format 4
3.0 Ticketek 4-5
4.0 Ticketmaster 6-7
5.0 Moshtix 7-9
6.0 Analysis 9
7.0 Conclusion 9
7.1 Appendix 1 10
7.2 Appendix 2 11
7.3 Appendix 3 12
7.4 Appendix 4 13
7.5 Appendix 5 14
7.6 Appendix 6 15
7.7 Appendix 7 16
7.8 Appendix 8 17
7.9 Appendix 9 18
7.10 Appendix 10 19
7.11 Appendix 11 20
7.12 Appendix 12 21
7.13 Appendix 13 22
7.14 Appendix 14 23
8.0 References 24-25

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1.0 Introduction

This report will gauge the effectiveness of three different Australian websites selling
sports and entertainment tickets. The websites analysed will be Tickitek, Ticketmaster
and Moshtix. They will be looked at individually, then compared and contrasted and a
conclusion reached as to which is the most effective.

2.0 Format

The websites will be analysed using a similar format, in order to more easily ascertain
the effectiveness of each site. Twelve questions will be looked at initially (found in
Appendix 1), with further analysis conducted into areas that are particularly relevant
to each site. Dalgleish (2000) further identifies five things that customers want to do
on a website:
1. Evaluate competing products and services
2. Select products and transact with e-service providers
3. Get help
4. Provide feedback
5. Stay tuned in as e-customers
These five items will have a big impact on the overall customer perception of a
website, as the site’s ability to meet these needs will indicate if it is user-friendly and
effective. These five items will also be looked at in relation to each site.

3.0 Ticketek

The overall impression of Ticketek’s homepage is fairly average. The user is

confronted with a front page that seems to have crowded all the content onto the top
half of the page, with the result that it looks very cluttered (Appendix 2). Some of the
picture links and advertisements flash also, which is quite distracting and detracts
from the aesthetics of the site. Nielson (2002) identifies the home page as the most
important page on a website, which makes it crucial for it to be very user-friendly.
Ticketek does, however, provide a high degree of useability, even if the first
impression is not altogether favourable. The logo is clearly printed at the top of the
page and remains in the same position as you move around the site. One click on the

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logo will bring you back to the home page. A comprehensive internal search is located
towards the top of the page, but it would be nice to be able to search multiple
locations or categories at the one time. The important headlines are in bold, which
makes them stand out quite nicely and the page titles on the linked pages are also in
bold and larger than the accompanying text. It is easy to see that Ticketek is an events
guide and one click on the event will show that you can purchase tickets from the site.

The Ticketek web site uses a white background with dark blue text, which makes it
easy to read. This certainly contributes to its useability. Furthermore, the links are
clear and easy to read and they take you directly where you want to go. The photo
links are a good size but, as mentioned previously, are relatively crammed together.
This all contributes to make a homepage that is very useable, but not particularly
attractive. Ticketek’s secure payment policy can be found towards the bottom of the
page. It provides an assurance of security through the Westpac Bank (Appendix 5),
with the option of viewing the security guide on Westpac’s website. This provides a
certain level of reassurance to the customer.

Delving further into the site, the transaction process can be seen to be simple and
easy. Once the user clicks on a link to take them to an event, dates, ticket prices and
venues can be easily seen and a ‘buy now’ button will take you directly through the
buying process (Appendix 3). The buying process is very methodical – it works
through items step by step as seen in Appendix 4. A back button allows you to retreat
at any time and a confirmation page allows transactions to be acknowledged. The
delivery information does not allow for delivery tracking.

Ticketek has a help section with frequently asked questions and also provides a
facility to contact them (although it is not particularly easy to find). Once in, however,
the contact section is quite comprehensive and provides a number of areas to narrow
down the query process. Furthermore, it is easy to subscribe to the Ticketek newsletter
once you have logged into the website, which can provide you with updates and
special offers.

Using Dalgleish’s (2000) model also, it can be seen that Ticketek easily allows
customers to select products and purchase them, get help via the FAQs and provide

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feedback through the contact function. They can also stay in touch through the
newsletter, but cannot really evaluate competing products and services unless they go
to another site and do it themselves.

4.0 Ticketmaster

The overall impression of Ticketmaster’s website was quite pleasing – the home page,
with a number of significant events, was well spaced and pictures were laid out very
well in relation to the text (Appendix 6). The pictures clearly show the events they are
describing. The Ticketmaster logo is small but clearly observable at the top of the
page and remains in the same spot as you navigate around the site. One click on the
logo will take you back to the home page.

The site has two search options – one shows all events in a specific category for a
particular place and date and the other searches for an artist, team or venue (Appendix
6). It works satisfactorily and then provides links to the artist, venue and tickets.

The headlines and page titles are very clear and are generally on a different coloured
background, which makes them very easy to recognise. This also adds to the overall
appeal of the website – even though the site sports a plain white background, the
different colours used for the titles greatly enhances the attractiveness of the site. The
majority of the font on the page is dark blue and of an adequate size, which makes it
easy to read.

Transactions made on the website are a little more complicated than with Ticktek (for
a screenshot, see Appendix 7). Verification codes are required to be entered, so that
automated programs cannot be used to purchase large amounts of tickets. The
verification codes, however, are very difficult to see and often take a number of
attempts before the correct code is entered (Appendix 8). Once this is done, you have
two minutes to confirm that you will buy the tickets before they are released and
made available for another buyer. The whole buying process is done on this basis –
the buyer is rushed through the entire transaction, with only a number of minutes to
complete each page before the tickets are released. This is handy in a sense, as sought-
after tickets cannot be held while potential buyers make up their mind – however, for

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the buyer it is painful as decisions must be made very quickly and there is limited
opportunity for group discussion (as ticket buyers often travel in pairs or as a group).
The purchase process overall encompasses three stages – shipping, billing and
confirmation. These are fairly self-explanatory and easy to work through. At the end,
confirmation of ticket purchase is provided and an email is sent to your email address
with purchase details. Shipping cannot be tracked but a number of delivery options
are provided.

There is not a great deal of readily available information on security, however, which
is definitely a drawback. As such, a potential buyer may be unsure how secure the
transaction will be and this may put them off. There is, however, a comprehensive
privacy policy that should set their mind at ease concerning their personal
information.

Ticketmaster has an impressive help facility (Appendix 9) to browse through, and a

contact option, although it was a little hard to find. It took some searching before it
could be located. This was a bit disappointing, as leaving customer feedback is one of
Dalgliesh’s (2000) five customer objectives. As such, it is very important that there be
a readily available option to fulfil that need. There is also no way to extend the
relationship through a newsletter – the closest thing available is to have your
information passed on to other providers (eg. venues or artists) during the ticket
purchase process (Appendix 10).

5.0 Moshtix

Moshtix’s website appeared to be aimed at a younger audience, with a number of

large, colourful, flashing pictures lighting up the home page (Appendix 11). The
pictures are all of a good size and are suitably well placed with their descriptions. The
logo is located in the top left-hand corner of the screen and remains in the same spot
and you navigate the site; it does not, however, contain a link to return to the home
page but a ‘home’ option at the top of the screen is capable of providing that function.
It is easy to see that Moshtix is a ticket outlet and that ticket purchases can be made
via the site.

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The headlines are all easy to see and the font is of a good size and colour. The
different background colours for the headings add to the overall impression of youth
and fun that the site conveys. The search option is clearly located on the left hand
side, where you can search various categories to find the event you desire.

Interestingly, the links for various artists and events take you to a new, smaller
window where the transaction proceeds. The window provides you with relevant
information concerning the event, a contact number for more information and a link to
find out more about security (Appendix 12). The words ‘secure booking’ can be seen
at the top of each page, which should provide some reassurance to customers. The
purchase process then takes you through a number of steps, including a simple
registration and the booking process. It assures you of security the whole way
through. It is difficult to see if there will be confirmation of the purchase process (as
you would have to proceed with the whole transaction to be sure). Shipping is also not
an issue, as it appears that the tickets are collected at the venue and your credit card is
swiped to gain entry. Thus, there is no need for shipping to be tracked. The website
also has a number of links to a ‘privacy’ page, where it goes through Moshtix’s
privacy policy and other areas to set the customer’s mind at ease.

Another interesting feature of Moshtix is that it allows for you to book tickets through
your mobile phone, providing details as to how this is accomplished. This is a definite
plus for the website and shows a strong commitment to flexible customer service.

It also has a Moshtix player (Appendix 13) that plays MP3s while you browse the site
– and also allows you to download the MP3 for free. This is a bonus feature that
certainly sets it apart from its competitors.

Better than a newsletter, you can customise your own Moshguide (Appendix 14) on
the website to suit your preferences – and you can even choose the frequency of the
newsletter you receive. This is another example of the innovative service that Moshtix
offers its customers.

Moshtix has a very comprehensive contact option, which is easily accessible at the top
of the page. It was the easiest to find of the three websites and also the most helpful –

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it has a number of contact phone numbers, as well as four email addresses for
different areas. The FAQ section, however, is significantly smaller than either
Ticketmaster or Ticketek, but does cover areas that would be of most concern to a
customer.

5.0 Analysis

Surprisingly, of the three companies, the least-known seller (Moshtix) had the most
impressive website. It was laid out well, had an impressive contact option and bonus
features (Moshtix player and Moshguide) and was the most concerned with security.
Ticketek’s home page was very disappointing (because it was so cramped), but the
newsletter and easy purchase process worked in its favour. Ticketmaster’s website
was more visually appealing than Ticketek, but didn’t have the sane level of useability
as the purchase process was very rushed and there was no newsletter available. It was
also quite difficult to locate the contact option for the company.

6.0 Conclusion

Moshtix was certainly the most innovative website of the three and adhered most
strongly to Dalgleish’s (2000) five customer objectives. It provided a high level of
useability along with an attractive front, and also had a number of bonus features that
set it above its competitors. It was easy to get help through the website, provide
feedback and also stay tuned in as customers. It appeared easy to purchase items from
the site and it stressed security throughout the entire transaction. Ticketek and
Ticketmaster are also valid websites from which to purchase tickets, but Moshtix was
a cut above the competitors with its fantastic focus on customer service.

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7.1 Appendix 1

1. Is the company name and logo on every page? Is it linked to the home page?

2. Does the site have search (if needed) and does it work adequately?

3. Are headlines and page titles clear?

4. Are photos well placed, and a suitable size?

5. Do links work and clearly describe the page they will lead to?

6. Is font size and colour easy to read against the background?

7. Is the transaction process simple and secure?

8. Are transactions acknowledged and can shipping be tracked?

9. Does the site have contact information and/or help?

10. Is the purpose of the website clear?

11. Do I TRUST this web site with my information?

12. Can you leave feedback or extend the relationship e.g. newsletter?

Source: Knox, I. (n.d.)

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7.2 Appendix 2

Source: Ticketek (2007)

11
7.3 Appendix 3

Source: Ticketek (n.d.(a))

12
7.4 Appendix 4

Source: Ticketek (n.d.(b))

13
7.5 Appendix 5

Source: Ticketek (2007)

14
7.6 Appendix 6

Source: Ticketmaster (2007(a))

15
7.7 Appendix 7

Source: Ticketmaster (2007(b))

16
7.8 Appendix 8

Source: Ticketmaster (2007(c))

17
7.9 Appendix 9

Source: Ticketmaster (2007(d))

18
7.10 Appendix 10

Source: Ticketmaster (2007(e))

19
7.11 Appendix 11

Source: Moshtix (2006(a))

20
7.12 Appendix 12

Source: Moshtix (n.d.(a))

21
7.13 Appendix 13

Source: Moshtix (n.d.(a))

22
7.14 Appendix 14

Source: Moshtix (n.d.(b))

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8. References

Dalgleish, J. (2000). Customer Effective Websites. Retrieved April 9, 207, from

http://digitalenterprise.org/design/design.html

Knox, I. (n.d.) Web page review tips. Retrieved April 9, 2007, from
http://www.scribd.com/doc/20505/Web-page-review-tips

Moshtix (n.d.(a)). Retrieved April 18, 2007, from http://www.moshtix.com.au/

Moshtix (n.d.(b)). Retrieved April 19, 2007, from

http://www.moshtix.com.au/admin/moshguide/moshguide.aspx

Nielson, J. (2002). Top Ten Guidelines for Homepage Usability. Retrieved April 9,
2007, from http://www.digitalenterprise.org/design/design.html

Ticketek (2007). Retrieved April 10, 2007, from http://premier.ticketek.com.au/

Ticketek (n.d.(a)). Retrieved April 11, 2007, from

http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/show.aspx?sh=THIRSTYM07

Ticketek (n.d.(b)). Retrieved April 11, 2007, from

http://premier.ticketek.com.au/shows/showtickets.aspx?sh=THIRSTYM07&v=FMU
&p=EFMC2007761

Ticketmaster (2007(a)). Retrieved April 16, 2007, from

http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/

Ticketmaster (2007(b)) Retrieved April 17, 2007, from

https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/checkout/order?v=C6VecW1VIoN13BiC7Tjw6uJJr
G-HKOJEtZyboxgQ4xPO3rfo1mpR58-PkxFH-vIq3SoxG-3U-2P9-7lnb4-
itIUeAjY3g-pWImkKd5SeYPYOa9q_fZbj9wEMM0UvckpjIw

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Ticketmaster (2007(c)). Retrieved April 17, 2007, from
https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/checkout/reserve/uaSkf5ZekHS4VyViWELEjqi_lcut
0SwL5BK4kVp5ovo1Pb1o0tXutSKMUAQIsarLCIWiyYydq0_lJEcfStiwFQ

Ticketmaster (2007(d)). Retrieved April 17, 2007, from

http://www.ticketmaster.com.au/h/help.html?tm_link=tm_help_header

Ticketmaster (2007(e)). Retrieved April 17, 2007, from

https://www.ticketmaster.com.au/checkout/order

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