MovieTickets.com, a provider for consumers looking to purchase advance movie tickets, is introducing a virtual mobile ticket for smartphones that can be visually verified by theater employees in a move to circumvent the use of costly scanners.

The Web and mobile site hopes to modernize the ticket redemption process and offer users a more convenient way of entering theaters. The mobile tickets will be piloted before the end of the year, using Bytemark’s patented visually verifiable virtual ticket technology.

“We’re confident consumers will be very pleased with the new technology,” said Joel Cohen, CEO of MovieTickets.com, Boca Raton, FL. “It is more graphical and dynamic, and no longer a simple bar code.”

New technology
The firm behind the V3 technology, Bytemark, is looking forward to introducing the idea of mobile ticketing to a broader audience, via MovieTickets.com’s extensive user platform. Both companies believe that it will offer a streamlined process for moviegoers, as well as serve as a more environmentally-friendly solution to ticketing.

To use the mobile tickets, consumers must purchase a ticket through MovieTickets.com, after which the virtual ticket is sent to their mobile device. Movie enthusiasts can then skip going to the ticket cashier, and can go directly to the ticket checker.

The guests’ mobile tickets are visually validated by theater personnel who locate embedded security functions in the ticket that are customized to the specific theater or film itself. The tickets’ security features include color changes, animated watermarks and touch animations, and do not need to be scanned by a machine.

Fandango reports that it has been working on a barcode-less mobile technology for the last year.

The companies believe that this will enable consumers to enjoy a stress-free experience at movie theaters, especially during highly anticipated premieres or screenings.

Bytemark’s V3 technology is currently being used in the transit sector in Chicago’s South Shore line, New York City’s Waterway and the Cap Metro in Austin, TX.

Benefitting consumers and marketers
While mobile ticketing is not exclusive to movie theaters, introducing streamlined technology into similar sectors can only benefit marketers, employees and consumers.

“The benefits are shared between the consumer and theater chain,” Mr. Cohen said. “The theater chains can now more easily adopt a new, secure technology, without the need for costly scanners.

“The consumers benefit as more theaters will offer the virtual ticket.”

The mobile tickets cannot be lost or misplaced, and even offer a virtual “tear” feature that allows a consumer’s smartphone to act as a ticket stub during a visit. The enhanced security functions can be changed during showtimes and are hidden from users until time of activation at the movie theater.

MovieTickets.com is not currently offering incentives for using the mobile tickets, but combining this technology with a loyalty rewards program could be an optimal way of increasing awareness for the new platform. Nevertheless, mobile ticketing is likely here to stay in the digital space.

“We’ve carefully studied the barriers over the last several years and believe we have broken them down,” Mr. Cohen said. “As more and more travelers are using the early bar code scanned version of the mobile ticket, movie going could easily adopt that same usage pattern with a ticket that’s much more visually appealing.”

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York