StubHub APAC faced colossal K-pop traffic. Queue-it was there to help.
StubHub is one of the world’s biggest online ticket marketplaces, allowing users to buy and sell tickets to more than 10 million including concert, theatre, and sports experiences in over 40 countries. That’s about 1.3 tickets sold every second. This sheer diversity creates unique experiences and challenges in the numerous regions StubHub services.
Challenge
Within the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, one of the biggest challenges StubHub faced came with onsales for hugely popular Korean pop (K-pop) groups. One particular K-pop group, Wanna One, formed for a limited time to host a world tour. Fans were eager to get a chance to see this short-lived reunion the second tickets went on sale, and StubHub’s website could not support this massive traffic surge.
"There is a huge demand for all the K-pop concerts. People are used to getting tickets for these concerts at the very first minute. Some even use bots to get the tickets. All this created huge traffic to the platform and the website was overloaded."
Winnie Tam, Project Manager - Partnerships APAC
Solution
The company needed to handle the complexities of high demand ticket onsales: to ensure their website didn’t crash as soon as tickets went on sale, to create a fair experience for the many passionate K-pop enthusiasts, and to keep tickets solely in the hands of real fans. StubHub also wanted a solution that could protect their website continuously in the event of sudden spikes. They decided to work with Queue-it and implement a virtual waiting room to create controlled and transparent onsale experiences.
"We can enable Queue-it as a back-up plan without having them notice ... In order to be fair to all the users and avoid website overload, we decided to implement Queue-it for all K-pop shows ... There is nothing like the demand for K-pop."
Winnie Tam, Project Manager - Partnerships APAC
Results
StubHub now had the protection they needed to run successful K-pop onsales with Queue-it’s virtual waiting room. Transactions remained secure without any site overload and tickets got in the hands of authentic fans. Despite the concept of a waiting room being relatively new to the region, website visitors were happy to get information about their place in the waiting room and how much time it would take them to enter the purchasing site. Onsales became a more positive experience for both fans and the company.
"I'm very satisfied with the product as the user experience is good. I think the interface and the navigation is clear. I also like the instructions displayed nearby each configuration...I'm also very impressed with the Queue-it support team, who respond very quickly and provide guidelines to helping solve issues."
Winnie Tam, Project Manager - Partnerships APAC
About StubHub
Owned by eBay, StubHub was founded in 2000 and currently operates in over 40 countries worldwide. Some of its ticketing industry firsts include: the introduction of the ticketing application, interactive seat mapping, 360-degree seating virtual views, and price recommendation technology. Additionally, StubHub is a constant advocate for a transparent and fair ticketing marketing, committed to protecting the experience of their customers.