Online booking for cinema tickets

125861_Online Booking for Cinema Tickets Introduction Before modern technology came, people had to use the telephone to reserve for a cinema ticket. This would normally involve waiting until the operator answers the call – the length of time spend depends on how long is the queue of callers.
These days, however, there is no more need to call in and speak to the operator. One can easily access use the internet to complete his booking needs. First, one has to go to the website of the cinema of his choice. Once he has decided on a film and the film time, he only has to click on his selection and he will be taken to the booking system. He will then be able to choose the number of tickets he wants to purchase and the type of ticket he needs. After he makes his choices, he will be asked to submit his email address for confirmation purposes, and to receive his payment details. Before he enters his payment details, he can cancel the booking process or make changes to his selection. Either he is asked for his credit card details or switch card issue number for payment mode. (www. gulfcinema. com/home. php)
The biggest cinema chain in the United Kingdom, Odeon (www. odeon. co. uk), is a prime example of those which allow on-line booking for tickets. Although the review on its website design is critical (www. computing. co. uk, 2006), there is still plenty of content here that are useful to customers. Everything is explained simply and clearly, and the site is secure.
Advantages of Online Booking
Online booking allows the customer personalized booking, wherein he can make changes with his choices without having to deal with an irate and exhausted operator. Usually, he would also receive regular email updates from the cinema where he buys his tickets.
Online booking also allows the customer to avoid long queues. Internet is so easy to use that a click of the mouse will take the customer to his desired website. Besides, internet has many extras to offer compared to the telephone line system. Here, customer information is not limited to what the telephone operator remembers because everything is written in black and white. The customer will also have the advantage of being able to link with other websites that will give him further information about the movie. According to a study (www. computing. co. uk, 2006), there are many ways by which the web can come in handy for an online customer. There are official websites for every movie release, and sites focusing on gossips, news, and some very professional-looking fan sites. Online booking also allows the customer to choose the seats that he want, and alternatives if his first choice is not available.
Disadvantages of Online Booking
While it has many advantages, online booking for cinema tickets also has its share of disadvantages. One of the dangers of online booking is being susceptible to viruses, which are usually spread through emails. Moreover, a customer may also be susceptible to frauds and extra charges. Frauds are prevalent in the internet and some customers who may not be well-versed of the technology may fall victims to this. Unfortunately, a lot of information in the internet are not checked or may be irrelevant. On the other hand, some cinemas charge extra for online bookings.
Another danger is that minors who resort to online bookings may also be directed to undesirable internet materials, such as pornography which is readily available in the net.
Conclusion
Online booking is a new technology that must be used properly. In many aspects, this is the future of cinema booking. Right now, this is being commonly practiced already in developed countries; with some developing countries following the trend.
As more and more people opt to watch movies in the comfort of their homes through DVDs, online booking may yet urge them to go back to the cinemas and enjoy the wide screen. A perks such as this will add to the attraction of going to the movies as it relieves the customers from spending precious minutes lining up in long queues.
As has been discussed earlier, online booking for cinema ticket is much easier and hassle free because of its convenience, immediate reservation and instant confirmation. Perhaps, this will already be widely practiced in the next ten years, as more and more cinema owners/managers realize that they can control inventory instantly on sold-out dates and manage yields through appropriate revenue management techniques. The primary obstacle to this technological development that has to be overcome is the uneasiness of customers in giving out credit card numbers via electronics payment system. Then again, even if this scenario clouds the future of online booking for cinema ticket, the latter is definitely here to stay.
References
Gulf Cinema. (2006) About Us [Online] Available from: http://www. gulfcinema. com/home. php [Accessed 18 May 2006]
Computing (2004) Cinema Websites Under Spotlights [Online] Available from: http://www. computing. co. uk/webactive/features/2133655/cinema-websites-under-spotlight [Accessed 19 May 2006]
Odeon Cinema. (2006) Welcome to Odeon [Online] Available from: www. odeon. co. uk [Accessed 19 May 2006]