Ticketmaster Resale - Confidence That Converts

The Business Context:

Resale tickets are higher-margin inventory for Ticketmaster and their availability means fans can almost always find tickets. But the existing experience left fans guessing how to price their tickets. They'd list, wait, come back to edit (3.5 times on average), often leaving tickets unsold. Many gave up and listed on competitor sites instead.

The Challenge:

We needed to give fans confidence in pricing without guaranteeing tickets would sell - because no one can guarantee that. The average fan buys 2.5 tickets a year, and rarely lists their tickets for resale. So we had to understand what data would help fans sell their tickets. We needed to keep the design simple enough for first-time sellers but helpful enough for enthusiasts.

My Approach:

I empowered the design team to be strategic product thinkers, not just executors. We worked closely with data and product to understand the constraints and opportunities. We leaned heavily on existing research — years of customer support contacts and known pain points. We used usability testing strategically to validate that our solution (a price/sell-through bar graph with clear, friendly copy) actually built confidence.

The solution was simple: show fans where their price sits relative to market demand. No guarantees, just clarity.

The Results:

Within months of launch:

• Fans edited their listings half as much (down from 3.5 edits)

• Sell-through increased 13%

• Gross Transaction Value (GTV) increased $40M

The metric that stuck with me most was the drop in return visits and edits. It was a quantifiable measure of confidence. Years later, the experience hasn't needed to change - it just works.