Advanced Dynamic Pricing Strategies¶
Required Role
Administrator or Box Office can configure dynamic pricing. Read Dynamic Pricing first for fundamentals.
Navigation: Productions > [Production Name] > Performances > [Performance] > Ticket Class Allocations
Overview¶
The Dynamic Pricing page covers the basics of shiftable ticket classes, triggers, and cascading. This page explores advanced strategies for combining triggers, designing multi-tier pricing structures, and handling common real-world scenarios.
Combining Capacity and Time Triggers¶
Each shiftable allocation has two trigger fields: Shift When Capacity Over (percentage) and Shift Days Before Performance (days). These are evaluated with OR logic -- the shift activates when either condition is met.
This OR behavior enables several useful strategies:
"Whichever Comes First" Pricing¶
Set both triggers to create a price increase that fires on whichever milestone is reached first:
| Code | Price | Shift To | Capacity Over | Days Before |
|---|---|---|---|---|
EARLY |
$20 | REG |
60% | 14 |
REG |
$35 | -- | -- | -- |
- If the show is selling well, price increases at 60% capacity (even if the show is months away)
- If sales are slow, price still increases 14 days before the performance (even if capacity is low)
- Patrons always see the right price relative to where the show is in its lifecycle
"Safety Net" Pricing¶
Use a generous capacity trigger as the primary mechanism, with a tight time trigger as a safety net:
| Code | Price | Shift To | Capacity Over | Days Before |
|---|---|---|---|---|
T1 |
$25 | T2 |
50% | 3 |
T2 |
$40 | -- | -- | -- |
The price increases at 50% sold, but even for a slow seller, it still increases 3 days before the show to capture last-minute demand at a higher price.
Multi-Tier Cascading Strategies¶
Cascading shifts chain multiple price levels together. The system follows the chain until it reaches a non-shiftable class or a class whose triggers are not met.
Four-Tier Progressive Pricing¶
For high-demand productions with long sales windows:
| Code | Name | Price | Shift To | Capacity Over | Days Before |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SUPER |
Super Early | $15 | EARLY |
30% | 30 |
EARLY |
Early Bird | $25 | REG |
55% | 14 |
REG |
Regular | $40 | PREM |
80% | 3 |
PREM |
Premium | $55 | -- | -- | -- |
Behavior over time:
- On sale at $15 until 30% sold or 30 days before show
- Shifts to $25 until 55% sold or 14 days before show
- Shifts to $40 until 80% sold or 3 days before show
- Final tier at $55
Cascade Limit
Stagemgr stops following cascading shifts after 15 iterations to prevent infinite loops. In practice, you should never need more than 4--5 tiers.
Asymmetric Cascading¶
Not all ticket classes need the same number of tiers. You can have different shift chains for different classes:
| Code | Name | Price | Shift To | Capacity Over | Days Before |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
STU |
Student | $10 | STU-REG |
70% | 7 |
STU-REG |
Student Regular | $15 | -- | -- | -- |
GA |
General Admission | $25 | GA-MID |
50% | 14 |
GA-MID |
GA Mid-Tier | $35 | GA-PREM |
75% | 3 |
GA-PREM |
GA Premium | $45 | -- | -- | -- |
Students see a two-tier price structure while general admission has three tiers -- all driven by the same capacity and time triggers on the same performance.
Common Patterns¶
The "Early Bird" Pattern¶
The most common dynamic pricing setup. One shift from a discounted price to the standard price:
| Code | Price | Shift To | Capacity Over | Days Before |
|---|---|---|---|---|
EB |
$20 | GA |
50% | 14 |
GA |
$35 | -- | -- | -- |
Simple, easy to communicate to patrons, and effective at driving early purchases.
The "Last-Minute Premium" Pattern¶
Keep a standard price for most of the sales window, then shift up close to showtime:
| Code | Price | Shift To | Capacity Over | Days Before |
|---|---|---|---|---|
GA |
$35 | DOOR |
90% | 1 |
DOOR |
$50 | -- | -- | -- |
Captures premium pricing from last-minute buyers without affecting early purchasers.
The "Demand Surge" Pattern¶
Pure demand-based pricing with no time component. Set days before to 0 for all tiers:
| Code | Price | Shift To | Capacity Over | Days Before |
|---|---|---|---|---|
T1 |
$20 | T2 |
40% | 0 |
T2 |
$30 | T3 |
65% | 0 |
T3 |
$45 | -- | -- | -- |
Price rises purely based on how fast the show is selling. A slow seller stays at $20 even on the day of the show.
Capacity Over = 0
Remember that Shift When Capacity Over set to 0 means the capacity trigger is always active. This is correct for time-only shifting, but if you want demand-only shifting, set Days Before to 0 instead (which means the time trigger is never active -- 0 days before means the day of the show).
Strategy Selection Guide¶
| Goal | Recommended Pattern | Key Settings |
|---|---|---|
| Reward early buyers | Early Bird | Low capacity threshold, 14--21 days before |
| Maximize last-minute revenue | Last-Minute Premium | High capacity threshold (85--95%), 1--2 days before |
| Pure demand-based pricing | Demand Surge | Progressive capacity thresholds, days before = 0 |
| Gradual price increase | Multi-Tier Cascade | 3--4 tiers with spaced capacity and time triggers |
| Different prices for different audiences | Asymmetric Cascade | Separate shift chains per ticket class |
Interaction with Other Features¶
| Feature | Interaction |
|---|---|
| Timed ticket classes | Timed classes (using minutes_before_show) are evaluated independently. A timed class can also be shiftable. |
| Web visibility | If the shift-to target has web_visible unchecked, patrons cannot buy it online -- they must contact the box office. |
| Special offers | Special offers apply to the resolved ticket class (the final class after shifts), not the original. |
| Comp tickets | Comp classes can technically be shift targets, but this is rarely useful. |
| Season seating | Dynamic pricing works with season seating productions, but be cautious -- patrons may expect consistent pricing across the season. |
Monitoring and Adjusting¶
After configuring dynamic pricing, monitor its effectiveness:
- Check the allocation table on each performance to verify shift chains are correct
- Review sales reports to see when shifts activated and how pricing affected revenue
- Compare performances -- if one show shifts earlier than expected, adjust thresholds for remaining performances
- Adjust mid-run if needed -- you can change shift thresholds on future performances without affecting past sales