Negotiating with mobility: the price to pay for actors in event ticketing

This work in progress paper discusses how the time factor of mobile commerce drives a change in delivery mechanisms and bargaining power among firms involved in event ticketing. By archival research and twelve semi-structured interviews, a conceptual framework, a case study, and analysis are provided. By combining concepts of mobility, bargaining, and value chain innovation, a novel approach is provided for m-commerce analysis. The event ticketing industry is a first mover in m-commerce involving what we call “meso-payments” (€5-€100). This firm-level and technology coordination could be assumed to take place through a so-called “structured dialogue”. However, negotiating with mobility for ticketing doesn’t come without a price: increasing demands from users for convenient purchasing and delivery are combined with higher expectations of interactivity. This challenges the position of traditional distributors and opens up for new competition from mobile carriers and on-line data base owners. M-commerce offered by these new actors could also lead to dynamic prices supporting a shift in ticketing purchase behaviour. Key elements of our model are supported by the event ticket case study. It is likely that our conclusions regarding m-commerce and its effect on negotiations within event ticketing could be generalised into other industries.