Proceed to Checkout? The Impact of Time in Advanced Ticket Purchase Decisions

When purchasing tickets in advance, sports consumers are often faced with uncertainty. Most notably, in today’s real-time environment, it can be challenging for consumers to determine how ticket prices and seat availability will change over time. Guided by the generic advanced-booking decision model, the current study investigated the role of time, ticket source (primary or secondary market), and team identification in advanced ticket purchasing by exploring a consumer’s perceptions of ticket availability and finding a lower price. The results suggest the perceived likelihood of ticket availability and finding a lower priced ticket increased as the date of the game drew closer. Ticket source and team identification were also found to be statistically significant main effects factors, while ticket source significantly moderated consumer perceptions of finding a lower price over time. These outcomes both confirm and contradict various findings in the leisure literature and provide a strong foundation for future sport-related examinations. l '