Press Releases

Boyertown, PA – (February, 2009) Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium recently upgraded to Gateway’s eGalaxy Web Store product, significantly reducing their costs and improving Web store operations efficiency.

eGalaxy Web Store integrates with Galaxy Admission Control and Order Entry to provide complete online sales from ordering to fulfillment. Prior to the upgrade, Point Defiance was using Galaxy to offer PrintAtHome ticketing for their annual Zoolights event while using a third party to host the Web store. Zoolights is open nightly from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day and attracts an average of 90,000 visitors. With such a large volume of tickets being sold online, it was clear that a robust system for Web sales was critical to the success of the event.

Working with a third party to host the Web store, however, did not provide Point Defiance with the online sales system they required. “We had some major challenges,” said Donna Powell, Business and Administrative Services Manager of the Zoological & Environmental Education Division. “There was a lack of hands-on control of the online store content. Any changes we needed to make to the store required our staff to submit the information to technical support at the Web store host. There was often a delay– at times up to a week– before the information was updated,” she said.
Cost was another factor in the decision to upgrade. Any changes made to the online store required paying a fee to the Web host. Program additions or deletions and ticket price updates all cost Point Defiance extra, and these costs were adding up quickly. Powell added, “We also had to pay additional fees to a third party credit card processor. The reporting process was cumbersome and it hampered staff efficiency,” said Powell.

Possibly the most significant problem in using a third party to host their online store was the high percentage of errors experienced in the delivery of their PrintAtHome tickets. Powell estimates that over 60% of the tickets ended up in the customer spam folder or were blocked. “This created a lack of confidence in the Web store,” Powell said.

Because more than half of PrintAtHome tickets never reached the customer after purchase, Point Defiance’s reputation for excellent customer service had taken a serious hit. However, since upgrading to eGalaxy Web Store, their online sales have gone smoothly and customer confidence is being restored.

“With eGalaxy Web Store we can make changes to our site content on the fly, and with no additional costs, “ Powell said. “We can also use one credit card processor for our online transactions and save a lot of money in processing fees. Reporting is much simpler now too, and doesn’t require so much time and effort from staff,” she said.
Powell reports that the best feature of eGalaxy Web Store is how it incorporates with Galaxy itself. “The ability to sell any event that we offer online and over the phone at the same time without the worry about selling is great. Add to that the fact that you can publish any ticket to the Web store and you have a spectacular product for quick and easy online sales,” she said.

In addition to a significant increase in operations efficiency since the upgrade, Point Defiance has experienced a 61% percent increase in online order sales and a 98% decrease in online order errors. When asked what she would tell another zoo if they were in the same situation as Point Defiance before they made the switch, Powell said, “Make the change! Incorporating eGalaxy Web Store with Galaxy is the smart move.”

About Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium:

Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium located in Tacoma, Washington, has 792 animals and 98 different species on display. The facility, founded in 1905, covers 29 acres of land overlooking Washington State’s Puget Sound, and is part of the 700-acre Point Defiance Park. Point Defiance is engaged in the Species Survival Plan, run by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, for several endangered species.

About Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc.

Gateway Ticketing Systems, Inc. celebrates 20 years as the world leader in high-speed admission control and ticketing software for the attraction, amusement, and transportation industries. Located in Boyertown, Pennsylvania, Gateway Ticketing Systems provides sales, service and support for Point of Sale and ticketing systems throughout North America and worldwide.

For more information on Gateway Ticketing Systems, visit www.gatewayticketing.com or call +1 (610) 987-4000.

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