How to make money by special service becomes the question that all online "players" are thinking

Absrtact: It is not a novelty to buy movie tickets online, and some organizations even predict that this way can account for more than 50% of the total box office. The emergence of a growing number of third-party ticketing platforms and the influx of big companies such as Ali are enough to show that the market is attractive

Buying movie tickets online has not been a novelty, and organizations have even predicted that this will account for more than 50% of the total box office. The emergence of a growing number of third-party ticketing platforms, as well as the influx of giant companies such as Ali, is enough to show the allure of the market. But with the same business trajectory in most emerging areas, a loss-making yell is still the status of the online ticketing industry, with a few cents worth of money making the industry even less expensive to fight. When the Wanda line is still relying on popcorn to increase profitability, how to make money through the special services to become all online "players" are thinking of the problem.

Reporter investigation

Movie Online ticketing Gold "45 seconds"

"Transformers 4: Extinct Rebirth" (hereinafter referred to as "Transformers 4"), the streets of Beijing have been everywhere on the grid of the "hitchhiking" ads. In addition to the efforts to promote the film, Che also launched in the country, including the Super sports car team to pick up fans, the theme of the Office recommended special features.

With the popularity of the Internet, especially the rise of mobile internet, Guevara, Taobao representative of the online ticketing platform has developed into box office output of the new "big." Even the cat's eye film, which was officially on the line at the beginning of 2013, also achieved 1.5 billion yuan in box-office turnover last year.

While recalling the first introduction of the movie online ticketing business to the hospital line manager, Zhang Xuijing, the joint CEO of the grid, said that most people were skeptical. On the one hand, at that time the domestic film box office market is not so hot, on the other hand, fans of online ticketing this virtual consumption method of trust is not high. "At that time, we had a full year (2010) movie ticket sales of only about 17 million yuan, and now, with the box-office appeal of the film on the show, a day of movie ticket sales can exceed 2010 year." ”

The movie online ticketing business is growing fast in less than five years in the industry, it is also due to the 2010-2012 will be nearly two years of "group buying War", it not only let more and more people begin to understand, trust virtual platform, but also make the movie online ticketing for the first time successfully into the consumer's eyes.

In an interview, Beijing Commercial News reporter found that when it comes to movie online ticketing, most fans ' first reaction is convenience. Users through the Internet platform to complete the online selection, online payment of two steps, you can rely on the verification code before the beginning of the movie directly to the cinema terminal to take tickets. In order to verify the convenience of the movie online ticketing, the Beijing commercial newspaper reporter specially conducted a field investigation.

In Friday, when every Hollywood film "Transformers 4" landed on the first day of the National Hospital, 1:35 Noon, Beijing Haidian District, a cinema ticket office has lined up a long queue, waiting for tickets to the fans nearly 100 people. Mr. Wang, who is in the front half of the team, told the Beijing business newspaper: "I came over to buy a ticket less than 1 and waited for half an hour to see that there was hope, but it was estimated that the best position of the latest was gone." ”

Subsequently, the Beijing Commercial newspaper reporter for 20 of the queue to buy tickets to the length of the fans were recorded. One of the longest fans was 3 minutes and 07 seconds, and the shortest time was 51 seconds. Fans who choose to sell tickets online and take their own votes at the terminals are only 6 seconds long. The comparison of the shortest duration between the two modes is as high as 45 seconds.

Besides being quick, another big benefit of movie online ticketing is cheap. In the current release of the "Transformers 4" as an example, if the traditional way to buy tickets, a 3D movie ticket price of 130 yuan, and through the movie online ticketing method can be cheaper than half, only need 63 yuan.

Wang, a cinema manager with six years of experience, told a beijing-based newspaper reporter that convenience and low prices, as the two main features of movie online ticketing, could easily attract the attention of young consumers. And the 21-year-old youth is precisely the film consumption of the main crowd. This shows that the movie online ticketing market potential is huge.

"For the hospital line, the movie online ticketing will even become the mainstream movie ticketing way." The traditional way to buy tickets is not only inefficient, but also consumes a lot of labor costs. And through cooperation with the third party, the terminal ticket machine into the cinema, not only for fans to provide good service, but also to reduce the cost of theater operations. "said Wang Peak.

Industry perspective

3 yuan service charge profit only 4 cents

Fans who have used the movie online ticketing Terminal Server will find the problem that the printed face is usually printed with a "service charge of 3 yuan". Beijing Commercial News reporter learned that the popular film theaters, movie online ticketing service daily sales can even break through tens of millions of dollars, if the film ticket price of 60 yuan For example, the number of daily sales of film tickets is about 160,000, then the service provider on the day the fee is 480,000 yuan. But is it as good as the outside world can imagine? Zhang Xuijing gave a negative answer.

At present, the domestic ticketing system itself is a very complex system, the box-office statistics mainly by the fire Phoenix, stars and other ticketing system in charge. As a movie online ticketing service provider, need to enter the ticketing system, with these professional companies, and pay a certain service charge. According to Zhang Xuijing, 3 yuan service fee of 1 yuan is to be paid to these cooperative companies. In addition, plus to the purchase of ticket users send information prompts fees, 3 yuan service charge fixed cost up to 2.62 yuan. So the so-called profit is only 4 cents, and this is not deducted for editing text messages, system maintenance updates and other costs under the premise. If you deduct these, it is simply to lose money.

In addition, as far as hardware equipment is concerned, the cost of a ticket-taking terminal is about 20,000 yuan, which will also involve the cost of daily maintenance, which usually lasts only about three years, and these costs need to be borne by the service provider. In addition, in the ticket paper, the ordinary film ticket cost of 4 cents, if the choice of hard cardboard for film ticket printing, then the cost doubled. Zhang Xuijing said.

Manpower cost is the biggest investment

A fixed expense for day-to-day operations and a fixed operating cost for any movie online ticketing service provider. However, in addition to the above mentioned above, the largest part of the company's operating expenses or labor costs. Cat's eye film related director Xu Xian told Beijing Business News reporter, online ticketing is not just the online ticket sold to the simple, during the need to deal with many parties, and finally involved in the line to take the ticket. Through all the links, and ensure that each link can be very good, inseparable from a strong executive team.

Objectively speaking, the domestic movie online ticketing market is still in its infancy, although more and more people began to use the movie online ticketing business, but there is still a huge user blank market needs to be dug up, but also need a period of time for market incubation. According to the industry to Beijing News reporter disclosed that at present, almost all of us are making a profit, do well to maintain the balance of payments, but also rely on to find partners, and constantly pull sponsorship, borrow force advertising costs to fill the high cost. Therefore, high input, low output, even without output, the payment of money is more difficult to be reversed in the short term. But even so, the huge market potential has enabled the electric business bosses to enter the movie online ticketing market in the past two years.

Overall share or Super 50% in the next three years

Relevant statistics show that last year, including Che, Cat's eye film, Time network, including the online ticketing platform, has reached about 4 billion yuan in the market size, or even the largest domestic line Wanda Hospital line of the annual market share is higher. In Shanghai alone, the market share of movie online ticketing has reached 50%. Industry insiders predict this, the next three years, the overall share of the online ticketing market will exceed the domestic film total box office market 50%.

A few years ago, because of the movie online ticketing is a new thing, so the whole market is not so far from competition. However, since last year, with the emergence of third-party companies springing up, coupled with the strong entry of various capital, industry competition is gradually entering the white-hot stage. At the same time, the entire movie online ticketing has also been divided into two camps, namely by Baidu, Taobao led by the electric business camp, as well as by Che Life Network, Cat's eye film led by the third party camp.

Because of the different characteristics of the two camps, the means to attract audiences are not the same. Since last July, after Baidu Map released a new version of app application will be the film purchase ticket business into which, NetEase, Taobao, and many other sites began to dabble in the movie online ticketing market. The electric business camp relies on the innate advantage of "deep pockets", their favorite is "super low price card". This year's Women's Day film schedule, many home appliances business is to launch a "3.7 yuan to see the film" Activities, for the time contributed 2 million movie tickets.

Although the third party camp does not have the abundant capital to do the support, but by the introduction derivative service, the characteristic line activity way, strengthens, expands own user group. For example, parking now has become a problem for many fans, as a service provider should think ahead of time to ask users to choose which way to travel, and give travel guidance. In addition, now some theater hall is very large, users do not know which channel will be more near, the Shadow room is very dark, if you go unnecessary will be quite inconvenient, they will give you the location of the seat in the film Hall, and give a moving line diagram instructions.

It is reported that up to the end of June 2014, the grid-watt live online selection of cinemas more than 1000, widely distributed in nearly 200 cities nationwide, and Cooperation theater box office coverage of up to 60%. And the cat's Eye movie gives the latest data shows that the country now every eight tickets have a cat's eye movie sold, some time ago, "Godzilla" has 40% of the tickets are from the cat's eye movie to sell.

Relevant practitioners in this said, "tyrants" electric dealers with strong capital into the strong, it will be the original service providers caused no small impact. Electric Business camp played by the ultra-low price card, in the introduction of more consumer experience movie online ticketing service, but also to the Third-party camp users to create a diversion, but the price war is difficult to become a protracted battle, to cultivate users or should be from the service, content to start. So, in the future development process, the new members how to use the capital of the hands, rather than simply rely on low prices to draw attention? How should the old members cope with the challenges of capital, stabilize and continue to develop new market share?

Market breakthrough

The first trick: Spell Cinema coverage

With the increasing competition in the industry, movie online ticketing service providers will be difficult to have a lasting competitive edge if they only focus on the word "cheap". The first is to take advantage of the theater coverage. In the movie online ticketing service provider, if want to occupy a certain market share in the market, the first need to overcome a hurdle is the theater. Wang Feng told Beijing Commercial newspaper Reporter: "You can cover the more theaters, in the market has the right to speak the greater." ”

In this respect, Zhang Xuijing recalls that in 2010, the establishment of the first, the whole team encountered the biggest problem is with the hospital line to discuss cooperation. Although a long time ago, some people began to try to expand the movie online ticketing business, but because the audience for the virtual power of the new consumption pattern is not adapted to the failure of the end. As a result, most theaters were skeptical about movie online ticketing.

Especially in the past two years, with the rapid growth of the domestic movie box office market, the audience for the film, the demand for cultural consumption is increasing, the service providers between the coverage of the battle is increasingly fierce.

The second trick: Spell the ultimate service

It would be a big mistake to think that you can play the movie online ticketing business by taking advantage of the theater coverage. The hospital line coverage is only one of the basis of the movie online ticketing business, which is like the property developers building the foundation first. But the final house can sell well, but also to see the interior decoration, supporting infrastructure, such as "soft power." For the service providers of movie online businesses, this soft power comes from services other than ticketing. Xu Xian stressed: "Now the ticket market competition is even more intense, but as long as the service and user experience can be a winner." ”

In Zhang Xuijing's view, if you want to do the movie online ticketing business derivative services, in addition to the need to stand on the consumer's point of view, the use of divergent thinking for users to solve the problem in the process of viewing, to provide a better viewing experience, but also need to keep pace with the times, "accompanied by the rapid development of film technology, now in addition to IMAX, 4D Studios also began to gradually enter the market. Therefore, based on the survey of local cinemas, we launched the special Effects Hall on the homepage of our website. For different types of films, users are advised to choose a different view of the film Hall for the best audio-visual effect.

The third trick: spell-featured activities

This year, including Taobao, such as many home appliances business big boys throw their daughter, to ultra-low prices to viewers to see the film has caused considerable concern in the industry, and make the movie online ticketing really ushered in the so-called "Warring States era." With the user's choice more and more, practitioners in order to continue the user's viewing experience, expand the user base, also began to gradually try O2O mode.

Recently, a super sports car team to meet fans to see "Transformers 4" news aroused many fans attention. It is reported that, in order to this event, the life of the grid and Shanghai, a super run club cooperation, including Lamborghini, Porsche 911 and other five super sports cars, in the "Transformers 4," the opening day of 0, pick up 10 fans to watch the film. "In addition, we have similar activities in other cities, such as in Hangzhou, where a ' Hornet ' team is responsible for picking up fans," he said. Holding such a theme of the film can not only let the fans feel the different viewing experience, also can let the user and the service Business contact more closely, thus enhance the user viscosity. ”

Wang Feng suggested: "Movie online ticketing in the future will become the film industry chain in the downstream of the important market, but to develop this piece of blue sea, the service providers need to pass through multi-channel parallel, in the cultivation of user consumption habits, through a series of derivative services, derivative business to gradually broaden their profit space, strengthen the brand's influence. ”