We’ve seen a year of massive comebacks and superstars causing a frenzy by announcing world tours. However, people aren’t just missing out due to popular demand, but because of inaccessible websites.
Imagine your favourite band or artist that you’ve always longed to see has just announced a rare tour. Whilst sitting eagerly in front of your laptop, full of excitement and anticipation, braced and ready to select your tickets at 9 am sharp, for it all to come crashing down around you. The excitement has turned to frustration whilst frantically attempting to put tickets in your basket, and the anticipation has withered away to a feeling of helplessness when, no matter how hard you try, you cannot complete your purchase.
You might not even have to cast your mind very far back if you were one of the people that was let down by the Oasis fiasco. However, unlike just being unlucky by not getting in a queue fast enough or being misled by crazy surging ticket prices, people with disabilities have an even greater obstacle to tackle; inaccessible websites. Not only do they have to endure this upset and frustration on the most popular gigs, but they also have to endure every single event they try to book. This blog examines why this is the case and how companies can mitigate these barriers.
Who is missing out on purchasing online tickets?
Well, going off the latest debacle with the Oasis ticket scandal, the answer seems to be everyone. And, look at the controversy it caused across the media, with everyone in uproar that people were missing out due to sites crashing as they couldn’t handle the high demand or dynamic pricing taking a backlash. But, something that is even more scandalous is the fact that this same experience has been happening for years for the disabled community, and that’s for every booking that they attempt to make.
Although we’ve seen a few stories finally reaching the headlines over the past couple of years, such as TicketMaster having to issue an apology after a disabled woman was denied tickets to Taylor Swift’s concert, it’s an area that has gone unnoticed for far too long.
Not only do venues themselves not always cater for disabled people, such as a lack of disabled toilets at festivals, no wheelchair access at concerts, or inadequate seating. But, to be even able to purchase a ticket in the first place is a triumph in itself.
What’s the issue with disabled people booking tickets
In a nutshell, inaccessible websites are the problem. Nowadays, we all like to use online booking for events, enabling us to swiftly pick what seats we like and make that all important payment to secure our tickets. However, due to the way some (ok most, when it comes to ticket sales) websites have been designed and structured, it prevents users of assistive technology from being able to interact with a platform.
Disabled people, such as blind or visually impaired customers who use a keyboard and a screen reader to access a website, find navigating a platform difficult enough at times. But, when you bring in factors such as:
- Calendars to pick a date for an event
- Tick boxes or dropdown menus to select ticket amounts
- Online forms or payment details to complete
- CAPTCHA puzzles to complete a booking, which can also impact on people with learning disabilities
Then this is where users can be totally shut out from completing a purchase. Resulting in millions missing out on experiences and stripped from their independence.
It’s frustrating, totally and utterly frustrating.
How do companies try to address these problems
What is classed as ‘a reasonable adjustment’ to try and solve these issues, actually isn’t reasonable in the slightest, nor does it fix these issues.
As an alternative, disabled people are offered the choice of phoning an access line for designated accessibility places for shows. Sadly, this has come with its own issues. As ticket-hopefuls have been left for hours trying to purchase tickets with no joy.
Such as:
- Taylor Swift fan Hollie, who shared how she made 3,000 calls and spent 5 hours on hold with no response when attempting to get Eras tour tickets.
- A Deafblind charity officer, who called 800 times for Oasis tickets, to be left with no success.
Thousands of complaints flooded in for numerous acts, stating it was nearly impossible to get through to even join the queue to buy tickets, let alone purchase one.
I know getting tickets for this show and tour is going to be difficult, but having thousands of disabled people and one phone line just puts about 20 more hurdles in front of us.
What can be done to rectify these accessibility issues
This leaves us with the main question: Why are websites inaccessible for ticket purchases? Is there a reason that this can’t be done, with so many companies facing the same problem? The answer is yes, it can be done, and these accessibility barriers can be rectified very easily, provided businesses turn to an agency that is expert in the accessibility industry.
Our small but mighty team has tackled this problem, enabling users of assistive technology to fluently book tickets for events online. So, there’s really no excuse for not providing an equal digital experience. Then, anyone who still needs to use the phone to book will also be able to do so with ease, as a large number of users would certainly opt for the digital route.
In turn, giving freedom and independence so that everyone can experience the joy that live entertainment brings.
Need help in making your ticket website inclusive?
Don’t leave the disabled community shut out from purchasing tickets on your platform. Take a free test to discover where you may be presenting online barriers. Alternatively, get in contact with one of our accessibility experts, who can show you first-hand with assistive technology devices the user experience that you are presenting to your customers.
