At the start of March, a study revealed the West End contributed 51.25bn to the UK economy in 2014, with Victoria Beckham among the brands to open in the London district, while theatre ticket purchases rose by 6.5 per cent.
This has the potential to increase significantly now, as Amazon has turned its attention to the entertainment hub of the UK capital by expanding its Amazon Local channels to process bookings for all West End theatre shows.
Geraldine Wilson, general manager at Amazon Local UK, said: Amazon Local has become a one-stop destination for the very best in entertainment, dining, travel and beauty experiences across the UK.
The West End is a British institution, and now, our customers can choose from any show and book in just a few clicks, enjoying the glitz and glamour of Londons West End, all bookable in less than a minute.
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According to Amazon, Local customers can book tickets seven days a week, with millions of tickets available for all 48 West End shows. It highlighted that the area attracts upwards of 14m guests annually, making it the largest district in the world, so will likely be hoping visitors will use Local to make bookings regardless of their location.
In attempt to drive adoption, the company is offering introductory rates to customers on all shows between 24 March and 31 May. This latest move comes as the 2012-launched product now operates in 24 regions across the UK, and it’s seemingly hoping to act as a one-stop shop for people booking hotels and restaurants with Local.
Interestingly, the Amazon push follows eBay’s online ticketing marketplace Stubhub opening a bricks and mortar location in the West End on 16 March in Charing Cross, which is described as the heart of Londons theatre land , to support people looking to resell or purchase.
Im proud to be celebrating our third year of operation in the UK, a market with a vast and varied live event landscape across music, theatre and sport, and some of the most passionate fans,” said Brigitte Ricou-Bellan, international GM, StubHub.
Our success relies on offering something different, such as our unique, industry-leading All-in-Pricing model, which means the price fans see upfront is the price they pay. Our exclusive partnerships with organisations across music, theatre and sport allow us to offer access to events, which are often sold out, with many of these tickets listed at face value.
But most of all, it’s the fans that are the heart of our business and were proud that we receive some of the highest customer service scores in the industry thanks to our fan-focused approach. The face-to-face interaction and customer service offered by the LMS team at Charing Cross Road and our customer service support centre is a great example of why we score so highly.
