Ticket Purchases Via Smartphones, Wearables To Reach 32 Billion by 2019, Juniper Says

Ticket purchases via mobile and desktop devices, including smartphones, tablets and PCs, will reach 32 billion by 2019 worldwide, from an estimated 16.2 billion, this year, a Juniper Research report said. Digital ticketing services are developing quickly, and smartphones are forecast to account for more than half of digital tickets bought by 2019, Juniper said. In nearly every market, rapid transit and bus ticketing were being driven by mobile phone usage, the researcher said, due to their low transactional price and high usage frequency, it said. Bus ticketing was found to be particularly suited for mobile payments, Juniper said. Transportation ticketing is gaining traction through bar codes delivered through smartphone apps and through SMS-based technology, it said, with the latter becoming more popular in Sweden and Italy. Ticketing apps on wearables such as smart watches are expected to gain popularity, although challenges including scanning capabilities and battery life need to be addressed, it said. Apple Pay will create more awareness of contact-less payment via smartphone, Juniper said, and one in three airline boarding passes will be issued via mobile devices by 2019.