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App Review: SeatGeek iPhone App's Smooth Navigation Makes It Very Usable

SeatGeek offers location-based sports and entertainment event listings seamlessly integrated with secondary-ticket aggregators, an algorithm-based deal ranking system, and mobile-optimized purchasing. Without any hassle, the app connects to Facebook, iTunes and Last.fm, creating a list of favorite teams and performers, and a recent release paves the way for two-tap purchasing via Apple Pay. The app’s smooth navigation is impressive making the app very usable and current, but vendor-level fulfillment is the rate-limiting step in this equation. SeatGeek for iPhone is a free download with no advertising. It was developed in-house by SeatGeek. This review was conducted on an iPhone 5 version 8.1.2, with AT&T LTE service.

FLOOR SEATS: The app one-ups Ticketmaster for iPhone by not only pulling the user’s iTunes music list, but also creating a separate favorite events feed that does not muddle up the experience. The app’s main feed, Explore, crisply showcases nearby events with prominent pricing callouts. For me, it was Flyers games, with 20 events from $16. Sports and entertainment events are swiftly intermingled to provide an extensive list that is easy to navigate with a simple downward swipe. Users can tap a heart icon to favorite an event or performer, and iTunes artists can be un-favorited with a single tap. Smart search functionality allows users to see relevant results by typing only a few characters. Results are separated into performers/teams, events and venues. Date, time and location are included on the search results screen making it easy to select desired events. Team listings include a full calendar of events -- home and away -- and venue results include a full event schedule. Browsing available tickets for an event is a pleasant experience filled with conveniently placed choices. With a tap, users can select the number of tickets they want, and the feed responds with a new list. Deals can be sorted by price or Deal Score, Seat Geek’s proprietary algorithm that factors in things like seat location, opponent and day of week. A price filter can be set and users can select the types of tickets they would like to see. Ticket vendors are shown in the listings, making it clear who is selling what, and a venue map shows users where selected seats are located. For some venues, a view from seat image is available. Purchasing occurs at the vendor level, requiring a separate log-in, and for the most part, this is painless. Credit card information can be quickly saved for future, two-tap purchases. Apple Pay is available for select events.

OBSTRUCTED VIEW: SeatGeek is a secondary-market ticket aggregator. This works well for providing a large selection of events and tickets, but it is also the greatest downside to the app, as customer service and fulfillment occur at the vendor level. Despite clear callouts, users might not make this association during checkout, so when things go wrong, who gets the bad review? This pain point is an unfortunate reality for SeatGeek, regardless of how well-designed the app is -- and it is very well-designed. The ability to list tickets for sale is not available via SeatGeek, offering one area where Ticketmaster has an edge.

BOTTOM LINE: SeatGeek for iPhone is full of convenient, smart features. Event presentation, search and purchase points are made easy for users. Favorites functionality makes the app a very nice choice for deal-seeking fans, and the addition of Apple Pay creates an avenue for two-tap purchasing. The downside? Vendor-by-vendor fulfillment and no resale options. iTunes users give the app 4.5 stars. Despite the murky waters of inconsistent vendor checkout, I give it 4 stars, and I will be keeping it.

Amie Sheridan (amie.sheridan31@gmail.com) is a freelance writer in Philadelphia. See Sheridan's previous App Review submissions for THE DAILY:

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