The world doesn’t live online – not yet.
Talking about the receptiveness of online ticket purchasing options in Thailand when it was first introduced, Gary spoke of how only a few people were willing to make the shift (known as the innovators), whereas the rest still preferred online – much like when ATMs were initially introduced, people still preferred going to the bank.
Interestingly, Gary goes on to note that 30 years later in the events industry, the majority of all ticket sales are still offline.
Sometimes it’s not because technology is not available, but because it’s the customer behavior, availability, the way they conduct business and the way they used to do business. In those days it was difficult to go online. The percentage was very low and till date we have the majority of tickets sold offline.
One reason for this could be the nature of the events industry. Events, by design, have been outdoor, offline oriented activities. Hence, people take time to adapt to any online integration in any part of an event. It’s essential to remember this when you’re planning to introduce digital products and services within the industry, especially when the integration is customer-facing (for the customer to adapt to).
Every product must be a solution and the timing HAS to be right – tech is no exception!
Discussing the receptiveness of consumers to tech, Ilya pointed out that the possibility that consumers are not ready for change and to adapt, regardless of the merit of the product is very real. In such times, inventors and tech-innovators may have to take a step back and wait till the market is ready or educate the market first and then expect people to use their product.
I’m a big believer in tech but on the other hand, we always know that sometimes you may push, but it is too early, and people are not yet ready to adapt to the tech and you just need to stick through it and educate the market. Slowly, people will get there.
Ilya also went on to elaborate saying that the introduced tech needs to improve the process of how something is done.
Sometimes tech is included just for the sake of including it, but it doesn’t necessarily make a process better. If people are accustomed to a certain way of doing things that works fine and the tech doesn’t make it significantly better, they are going to be reluctant to make the change and adapt.
One obvious reason is because everyone likes familiarity. Hence, a new product has to be valuable enough for people to want to make the uncomfortable decision to make the change. Once this is achieved, as Ilya points out, it’s essential to educate the market and give it time to adapt.
Listen to the full podcast on Spotify and YouTube for more insightful takeaways.
About PouchNATION
All-in-one Cashless and Guest Management solution for venues and events to digitize operations and increase guest spend using NFC wearable technology. With operations in 7 countries in Asia and Australia PouchNATION has already processed using its innovative solution over 2 million of Guests and 100 million USD in transaction value.
For inquiries, please contact PouchNATION at [email protected], or +60 1129 6027 92 (Ricardo Santos), and visit www.pouchnation.com.
