Summary of Key Insights
SeatGeek enjoys a generally positive reputation, reflected in a high average rating driven by a significant number of 5-star reviews. Users praise its ease of use, competitive pricing, and features like the "Deal Score" and view-from-seat previews. However, recurring complaints about high fees, unreliable ticket delivery, and poor customer service indicate areas needing improvement. Some users also reported issues with ticket validity and receiving tickets that didn't match their order. There's a notable contrast between positive experiences and negative ones, suggesting inconsistencies in the service. A small but vocal minority expresses frustration with forced review prompts.
Key Strengths:
- Ease of use and intuitive interface
- Competitive pricing (compared to some competitors)
- Features like Deal Score and view-from-seat previews
Key Weaknesses:
- High and often unexpected fees
- Inconsistent ticket delivery and validity
- Poor or slow customer service, often relying on AI chatbots
- Forced review prompts
Overall Sentiment: Positive, but with significant areas of concern.
Quantitative Metrics:
- Overall Rating: High (driven by 5-star reviews)
- Score Distribution:
- 5-star: 75.6% (378/500)
- 4-star: 6.4% (32/500)
- 3-star: 2.4% (12/500)
- 2-star: 0.8% (4/500)
- 1-star: 14.8% (74/500)
Data & Methodology Overview
- Data Sample Size: 500 app reviews
- Time Frame: Not explicitly stated, but the reviews appear to be relatively recent, spanning from the present back several months based on event dates mentioned.
- Analysis Methods: Qualitative analysis of user reviews, focusing on sentiment, keyword extraction (e.g., "fees," "customer service," "easy to use"), and frequency of mentioned issues and positive aspects.
Key User Pain Points
- High Fees: The most frequently mentioned complaint. Users feel that fees are excessive and not always transparently disclosed upfront. This significantly impacts perceived value.
- Ticket Delivery Issues: Many users report not receiving tickets on time, or at all, leading to missed events.
- Customer Service Problems: Users express frustration with slow response times, unhelpful AI chatbots, and the lack of a phone number for direct support. Some report being unable to resolve issues.
- Invalid or Incorrect Tickets: Some users received tickets that were invalid at the venue or didn't match the seats they ordered.
- Forced Review Prompts: A small subset of users are annoyed by frequent and unavoidable requests to leave a review.
- Account Issues: Some reviews mention problems with logging in or account access.
- Misleading or Inaccurate Information: Users have reported misleading seat views or failure to disclose obstructed views.
Frequently Requested Features
- More Transparent Pricing: Users want fees included in the initial price display.
- Better Customer Service: Specifically, a phone number for direct support and faster, more helpful responses.
- Ability to Choose Specific Seats: Some users want the option to select their exact seats, rather than being assigned them.
- Apple Wallet Integration: Easier integration with Apple Wallet for ticket storage.
- Filter for Accessible Seating: A specific request to filter for accessible seating options.
- Parking Pass Integration: The ability to purchase parking passes through the app.
- Improved Smart Pricing Feature on Mobile: Easier access to Smart Pricing for sellers using the app.
Strengths and Positive Aspects
- Ease of Use: The app is generally praised for its user-friendly interface and intuitive navigation.
- Deal Score: Users appreciate the "Deal Score" feature, which helps them identify the best value tickets.
- View-From-Seat Previews: The ability to see the view from specific seats is a popular feature.
- Competitive Pricing: Many users believe SeatGeek offers competitive prices compared to other ticketing platforms (though this is often contradicted by fee complaints).
- Convenience: Users find the app convenient for buying, selling, and transferring tickets.
- All-In Pricing (Sometimes): Some users appreciate seeing fees included in the initial price display (though this is not consistently reported).
Prioritized Action Recommendations
High Priority:
- Address Fee Transparency: Implement a clear and upfront fee disclosure policy. Show the total price, including all fees, from the very beginning of the ticket selection process.
- Improve Customer Service: Invest in better customer service resources, including a readily available phone number for direct support and faster response times for online inquiries. Empower customer service representatives to resolve issues effectively.
- Enhance Ticket Delivery Reliability: Implement measures to ensure tickets are delivered on time and are valid at the venue. Investigate and address the root causes of delayed or failed ticket deliveries.
- Improve Ticket Accuracy: Ensure that tickets accurately reflect the seats ordered. Implement quality control measures to prevent errors in ticket assignment.
Medium Priority:
- Eliminate Forced Review Prompts: Respect user preferences regarding in-app review requests. Stop forcing users to leave reviews.
- Improve Seat Selection Options: Offer users more control over seat selection, including the ability to choose specific seats.
- Streamline Apple Wallet Integration: Make it easier for users to add tickets to their Apple Wallet.
- Address Account Login Issues: Resolve reported problems with logging in and account access.
- Enhance Seat View Accuracy: Improve the accuracy of view-from-seat previews and disclose obstructed views.
Low Priority:
- Add Filter for Accessible Seating: Implement a filter for accessible seating options.
- Integrate Parking Pass Purchases: Allow users to purchase parking passes through the app.
- Improve Smart Pricing Feature on Mobile: Make the Smart Pricing feature more accessible and user-friendly on the mobile app.
Opportunities for Startup Ideas
- Fee Transparency Tool: A browser extension or app that automatically compares ticket prices across different platforms, factoring in all fees, to identify the truly cheapest option.
- Guaranteed Ticket Delivery Service: A service that guarantees ticket delivery by a specific time, with compensation offered if the tickets are not delivered on time.
- AI-Powered Customer Service Assistant (Done Right): An AI-powered customer service assistant that is actually helpful and can resolve common issues without human intervention. This requires significant investment in training and natural language processing.
- Verified Seat View Platform: A platform that crowdsources verified seat views from users, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information on seat quality and visibility.
Trends and Observations
- Language Preferences: The majority of reviews are in English, but there are also a significant number of reviews in Spanish.
- Negative Sentiment Clustering: Negative reviews often cluster around specific issues, such as high fees, ticket delivery problems, and customer service complaints.
- Comparison to Competitors: Users frequently compare SeatGeek to competitors like Ticketmaster and StubHub, often citing pricing and ease of use as key differentiators.
- Impact of Events: Specific events (e.g., the Sabrina Carpenter concert) are mentioned in multiple reviews, suggesting that user experiences can be influenced by the popularity and demand for particular events.
- Shift in Sentiment (Potentially): Some reviews indicate a decline in customer service quality over time, suggesting a need to address this issue proactively.
Conclusion
SeatGeek has a strong foundation with a user-friendly app and features that fans appreciate. However, the company needs to address recurring complaints about high fees, unreliable ticket delivery, and poor customer service to maintain its positive reputation and prevent customer churn. By prioritizing these issues, SeatGeek can solidify its position as a leading ticketing platform.
Overall Recommendation: Focus on improving transparency, reliability, and customer service to enhance the user experience and address key pain points.
Original App Link
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/seatgeek-buy-event-tickets/id582790430?uo=2