How Do I Sell Tickets on Squarespace?

Selling tickets on Squarespace can be a streamlined and effective way to manage ticket sales for events, whether they're physical, virtual, or hybrid. The process involves setting up a product page, using integrated services for ticketing, and managing your sales. Below is a step-by-step guide on how you can do this:

1. Choose the Right Squarespace Plan

To sell tickets, you'll need a plan that supports commerce. Here are your options: - Business Plan: Offers basic commerce functionalities. - Basic Commerce Plan: Ideal if you're starting to sell online. - Advanced Commerce Plan: For comprehensive e-commerce features.

2. Set Up Your Event Page

a. Create a New Page: 1. Log in to your Squarespace account. 2. Go to the Pages section in your site's dashboard. 3. Click the + icon to add a new page and choose a template that suits your event. Event pages or product pages are good options.

b. Add Event Details: 1. Use Text Blocks to provide details about your event, including the date, time, location, and a description. 2. Add Image Blocks or Video Blocks to make your event page visually appealing.

3. Configure E-Commerce Settings

a. Set Up Products: 1. Go to the Commerce section. 2. Click Products and then the + icon to add a new product. This product will represent your event's tickets. 3. Fill in all relevant fields, including product name, description, and an image (if applicable).

b. Pricing and Variants: 1. Set the price for your tickets. 2. If you have multiple ticket types (e.g., General Admission, VIP), use the Variants option to add these different ticket levels.

c. Stock Quantity: 1. Set a stock quantity to manage the number of tickets available. This is especially important to avoid overselling.

4. Use a Ticketing Integrator (Optional but Recommended)

Squarespace doesn't have a robust built-in ticketing system. You can integrate third-party services for more features. Common choices include: - Eventbrite: Widely used and integrates well with Squarespace. - Ticketbud: Ideal for customized event ticketing. - Acuity Scheduling: A Squarespace-owned service suitable for events with appointment scheduling.

a. How to Integrate Eventbrite: 1. Set up your event on Eventbrite. 2. Get the Eventbrite URL for your event. 3. On your Squarespace event page, use a Link Block or Button Block to link to your Eventbrite ticketing page.

5. Payment Settings

a. Connect a Payment Processor: 1. Go to the Commerce section and then Payments. 2. Choose from Stripe or PayPal to handle transactions. 3. Follow the prompts to connect your payment processor.

6. Manage Orders

a. Monitoring Sales: 1. In the Commerce section, click on Orders to see all the tickets sold. 2. Use this dashboard to monitor your ticket sales and attendee details.

b. Export for Event Management: 1. Export a list of attendees from the Orders section. 2. Use this list for event check-ins or to send pre-event reminders.

7. Promote Your Event

a. SEO Optimization: 1. Ensure that your event page is optimized for search engines. Use appropriate keywords in your title, description, and URL.

b. Social Media and Email Marketing: 1. Use Squarespace’s built-in tools or external services like Mailchimp for email campaigns. 2. Share your event on social media platforms to reach a broader audience.

Considerations and Limitations

• Customization: While Squarespace is versatile, it may not offer the level of customization available on dedicated event ticketing platforms.
• Transaction Fees: Be aware of transaction fees associated with your Squarespace plan and payment processor.
• Manual Management: If not integrating with an external ticketing service, you may have to handle more aspects manually, which can be time-consuming for larger events.

By following these steps, you can effectively sell tickets for your event on Squarespace, providing a seamless experience for your visitors and efficient management for your organizing team.