Apple’s Passbook has jumped out of the gate fast with MLB fans according to Bob Bowman, CEO of MLB Advance Media. He tells MarketWatch that during its test run, with four teams at the end of the season and over a two-week period, 1,500 e-ticket buyers (12%) chose Passbook delivery.
“That adoption rate really floored us — there is no question our fans want digital tickets,” Bowman says.”“Fans can use the tickets, forward them to a friend, resell them, or even donate them to charity — and they never get lost or left at home.”
Passbook’s goal with the release of iOS 6 was to make it easy for consumers to organize, manage, and retrieve local coupons, loyalty cards, and other money-saving information from one single app.
The rapid rate at which MLB fans adopted the use of Passbook shows that fans prefer digital tickets. The stats show less than one third of tickets purchased last season were printed, down 55% from the 2011 season. The league took this information and decided next season tickets will all be digital. It looks like with printed tickets being something of the past, fans who haven’t adopted current technology might have to learn quick.
On another note, it looks like the more and more companies or services start to support Passbook, the more they will save on plastic and paper. This is an aspect that many don’t think of, as well as how this app presents many environmental benefits.