Smarter Flow = Better Service = More Sales
If you’ve ever stood at the back of a long queue during intermission, glancing nervously at your watch (or phone) and wondering if you’ll make it back in time for Act Two, you already understand why pre-ordering makes sense for the audience.
But from the perspective of a theatre, sports club or concert venue, allowing customers to pre-order drinks and snacks doesn’t just reduce stress — it can significantly increase the average spend-per-head.
At Activity Stream, we work with venues of all kinds, from theaters and concert halls to sports clubs and arts organisations, around the world. We’ve seen how a well-implemented pre-ordering experience can turn a decent night out into a truly memorable one, while also boosting revenue. Here’s why it works, and how some solid behavioral science backs it all up.
1. People Spend More When They’re Not Rushed
Most of us make better — or at least more indulgent — choices when we’re relaxed. When ordering from home, a customer has the time and headspace to browse options, imagine their evening, and select the perfect drink, snack, or interval treat.
Standing in a queue at the venue, the behavior changes. The pressure of a line behind you leads to quicker decisions and fewer add-ons. This is what Nobel Prize-winning economist Daniel Kahneman describes in Thinking, Fast and Slow as the dominance of “System 1” thinking: fast, intuitive, and often frugal.
When you allow people to pre-order, you engage their “System 2” brain: slower, more deliberate, and more inclined to treat themselves.
2. No One Likes Standing in Line
This seems obvious, but it’s easy to underestimate how big a deterrent long queues can be.
According to research from The Journal of Consumer Research, long wait times — or even just the expectation of them — can reduce a person’s willingness to spend. In the context of a theatre, this might mean skipping the bar entirely, even if the customer would have happily spent money if it had been easier.
With pre-orders in place, that obstacle disappears. Guests can order in advance and simply collect their drinks, leading to higher conversion rates and happier patrons.
3. Pre-Orders Serve as a Signal: “Yes, There’s a Bar”
If someone is visiting your venue for the first time, they may not even realize there’s a bar — or assume it will be crowded and not worth the trouble. By actively offering pre-ordering, especially via SMS ticket delivery or email reminders, you are informing the audience that a bar is part of the evening’s experience.
This matters. It can influence where people choose to meet pre-show (your venue vs. the pub next door), and helps position your hospitality offering as part of the full theatre experience — not just an optional extra.
4. Serve Guests Where They Are, Not Where the Crowd Is
Many of our clients use crowdEngage to link pre-orders with specific seating locations. This means pre-orders can be automatically routed to the bar closest to a customer’s seat — reducing congestion and ensuring better service.
Without this, guests tend to flock to the most visible or obvious bar, creating bottlenecks. When flow is more evenly distributed, you can serve more people, more efficiently — and that translates directly into higher revenue per head.
5. People Plan the Perfect Evening — In Advance
There’s a well-known behavioral concept called affective forecasting, which is the process of predicting how we’ll feel in the future. When people pre-order, they are imagining their ideal night: a glass of wine before the show, maybe a sweet treat during the interval, something to toast a special occasion.
On the night itself, things may change — they’re running late, had a tough day at work, or just don’t feel like queueing. Without a pre-order in place, they might skip it altogether. But with a pre-order already made, the moment is set in motion — and they’re more likely to enjoy it as planned.
6. Pre-Ordering Reduces “Spending Guilt”
Once a purchase is made ahead of time, it feels like part of the ticket price. Guests are more likely to make a second purchase on the night because the first one feels done and dusted.
It’s similar to the sunk cost effect: once someone has already spent money, they’re more willing to spend a little more to enhance the experience. This is especially true in settings like the theatre, where the whole evening is already seen as a treat.
So, What’s the Takeaway?
By enabling pre-ordering — especially via mobile ticketing platforms like crowdEngage — you’re not just making life easier for your audience. You’re removing barriers, encouraging more deliberate (and more generous) spending, and helping guests craft an experience they’ll want to repeat.
We’ve seen theatres report increases of up to 20–30% in bar spend-per-head after introducing pre-orders. But the real impact is deeper: it’s about better flow, better communication, and a better experience for everyone in the room.
And that’s something every theatre can raise a glass to.
Want to see how it could work at your venue?
We’d love to show you how pre-ordering fits into your wider audience experience. Learn more about our Visitor Experience solution here- or get in touch for a demo.
