The Giants figure out economics

by
December 3, 2008

The Giants may not understand the law of supply and demand when it comes to thirtysomething middle infielders, but they do get it when it comes to ticket pricing:

Next season, San Francisco Giants fans buying single-game tickets for an April game against Milwaukee might pay half as much as they would for a weekend game with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers later in the year.

The club is trying something new with ticket sales in a few tough-to-sell upper-deck outfield sections of its waterfront ballpark for 2009: cost based on demand.

The walk-up sales price for up to about 2,000 seats could even go up or down on game day. The change would be minimal, say somewhere between 25 cents and $2.

Team president Larry Baer calls it “dynamic pricing” and figures it might just become the way of the future for professional sports franchises. The Giants have partnered with a software company that will make it possible to quickly change the ticket prices based on the popularity of a given game — not to mention weather, a possible milestone or a player from a visiting team who brings extra interest.

Makes sense to me.

(thanks to reader Doug C for the link)


1 Comment
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
mkd
15 years ago

I know the Mariners do this to some degree: they bump the price up for an identified “Premium Game” and cut the price for an identified “Value Game”. It basically amounts to a tax on Red Sox/Yankee fans and a sort of Chinese Government packing-of-the-stands for Royals games. Both of which are just fine by me.

If the Giants can figure a way to make it even more dynamic I agree with Larry Baer that it could be the future of ticket pricing and be totally awesome. Especially if went the route of what I originally misread the article to say: that walk up prices could go for as low as a quarter. Now that would be change I can believe in.

0