While most ticketing platforms have not been overwhelmed by the volume and demand for Taylor Swift’s world tour ticket sales, Klook, Asia’s leading travel and experience platform, has not faced and any hiccups.
On July 7, Klook Experiences Packages for Taylor Swift | Singapore’s Eras Tour sold out within hours, with Filipino Swifties getting the most tickets through the app. Over 600,000 fans across the region are eagerly waiting online using their Klook app, willing to spend big on bundled hotel and ticket packages, with the most luxurious package costing nearly S$5,000 (roughly Php205,000) .
How does the company do it?
“Ticketing of concerts and musical events is not new to us; In fact, we were already preparing for such massive events even before the pandemic. In the event hiatus caused by the pandemic, we are taking the opportunity to upgrade our systems, push our capabilities to new limits, and truly provide an unparalleled booking experience as we have seen in successful Taylor Swift ticket sales,” shared Bernie Xiong , CTO & Co-Founder, Klook. “As a technology travel company at our core, we have developed our expertise in managing a variety of travel products, from attractions to train tickets, each with its own complexities. The convergence of all that knowledge, learning and experience combined with our dedicated tech team truly make this possible.
Strong Tech Infrastructure to Handle Over 10 Million Users Entering Queues in 1 Second
Klook’s robust infrastructure, specifically designed to handle the high traffic of many locals, played a key role in the smooth ticket sales for Taylor Swift’s Singapore tour. With the ability to manage more than 10 million users who are in line at the same time, Klook’s system proves their ability. In fact, the platform has the potential to grow even further, thanks to near real-time capacity management and resource provisioning, allowing Klook to dynamically adapt its system resources to ensure a consistently smooth user experience.
How does it work? By using a so-called Content Delivery Network (CDN) system combined with Edge Computing technologies, Klook’s in-house queuing system adjusts its pass-through rate automatically to handle millions of users around the world browsing and carting out seamlessly, ultimately creating that perfect harmony. combination of stability and queue management. The result? There are no crashes, with a system capable of processing over 10 million users in line every second with thousands of successful transactions every minute. That’s the equivalent of filling a massive 60,000 seat concert venue with happy ticket holders in minutes.
Rigorous load and stress testing plays a key role in Klook’s ability to handle surges in demand during peak times without compromising system performance. The platform not only manages ticket sales for the concert, it still functions normally for all other users who want to discover and book Klook’s wide range of more than 500,000 experiences, hotels and action option. In fact, Friday is probably one of Klook’s busiest days with customers preparing for their upcoming trips or weekend plans.
AI Powered Anti-Fraud System to Ensure a Level Playing Field for Fans
A persistent issue that often plagues consumers is the presence of ticket scalpers and bots, which severely impact the ticket and concert buying experience. To overcome these challenges, Klook has implemented an app-only approach that ensures genuine fans tagged with a unique ID have an equal chance of getting tickets, eliminating the need for multiple devices and accounts can block the platform.
By leveraging the AI capabilities of its in-house fraud prevention and security system, Klook uses techniques such as device fingerprinting and behavior analysis to detect and mitigate suspicious activities. By carefully checking user accounts and identifying anomalous behaviors, Klook’s robust system can quickly reject fraudulent orders or subject them to manual verification, ensure a secure ticketing process and make it more difficult for sophisticated bots used by scalpers to operate.
These steps help level the playing field and ensure that fans have a fair and equal opportunity to get their Taylor Swift tickets while also improving their overall ticketing experience.
Changing Music Tourism
These achievements are no accident but have been three years in the making for the leading travel platform. Klook already has skin in the game – developing infrastructure to support more events like JJ Lin and Jay Chou’s concerts.
Klook adds a unique angle to music tourism and changes the entire booking experience. Leveraging the company’s expertise in multiple travel verticals, Klook curates and creates value-added bundles that go beyond standalone tickets. Fans can enjoy many day experiences and services from all things sports (attractions, experiences), stay (hotel nights, staycations) and movement (rail, car rental or transfers), which ultimately drives greater economic benefit to the host destination. Klook data reveals that when tourists attend a concert or event, their incremental spending at the destination can range from 4-5 times the ticket price.
What’s next? Swifties who book an Experience package can look forward to more fun things-to-do on Klook when they visit Singapore in March 2024. With musical tourism and the likes of experiential travel continuing to grow, Klook continues to pushing the boundaries and helping travelers create more moments of happiness.
