While the Phillies are "a bust on the field" with the worst record in MLB this season, they are "showing signs of life in another area: selling tickets," according to David Sell of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. The Phillies are "using some, though not all, the latest data-crunching tools, devices, and sales tactics, along with old-school human conversations." The team "listed three games in May" on Groupon with "lower-than-normal prices." While the Phillies did not disclose how many tickets it sold, they said that 70% were "bought by new customers, who are now in the Phillies database." The team "has also used 'variable' pricing for several years based on the game's importance." The Phillies "use only a bit of dynamic pricing now, with their lowest-priced tickets sometimes dropping from $20 to $17 on the day of the game." The team "will consider using the dynamic pricing tactic more" in '16 or '17. Phillies Dir of Ticket Technology & Development Chris Pohl: "We need to figure out all the ways to get tickets into our customers' hands, as they want to receive them." Sell noted the Phillies "still print on heavy paper most season tickets, of which they have sold about 12,500 per game, down about 15,000 from their high-water mark, along with tickets for groups." The Phillies "still have humans at ticket booths, especially in the hours before a game, and will happily take cash for a ticket." But, "like all teams, they prefer to sell and distribute tickets through various digital formats because they save money and collect data from credit card purchases through the Internet and mobile phone apps." The Phillies "averaged 24,831 tickets for 48 homes games through Wednesday" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 7/26).
