We just wrapped up our biggest weekend ever at HauntPay. It hasn’t just been a big season for sales: we’ve received more than 10,421 new inquiries (conversations) from ticket purchasers, haunt owners, and event organizers this year.
Many of those new conversations are started by ticket purchasers who are thinking about buying tickets to your haunt. But they might need a bit more information before making a decision. We want to help you make those sales!
If our team is able to find the answers on your ticketing page, it’s much easier to reassure a potential ticket purchaser that they’re making the right decision. It also saves time: in many cases we can respond right in a live chat, while the guest has their credit card out. Quick answers make for quicker sales.
Here are the top 6 most frequently asked questions we get from ticket purchasers and how you can adapt your ticketing page to secure more of those potential sales. (If you don’t want to include all the details on your ticketing page, I also love when haunts link to their FAQ page so we can grab the answers there!)
1. Can I buy tickets on site?
This is by far the #1 question we get during Haunt Season. And you’d be surprised how many haunts don’t have this information listed on their ticketing page or website.
We’ve been seeing a trend this year of guests waiting until the last minute to buy tickets. Or buying them closer to their visit than they would have in years past. They’re not securing tickets weeks in advance anymore; sometimes they’re buying them on the way to your haunt!
There are several factors at play here, but one reason guests want to know if they can buy on site is that they want to know how flexible their plans can be. They might be organizing a group and have a couple friends who are still “maybe”s on their RSVP. Or they’re not sure what time they’ll get off work tonight.
It’s 100% ok to not allow on site sales, but we love it when haunts let guests know one way or the other. The Haunting on High Street in Mount Holly, NJ has a great FAQ section right on their ticketing page, with exactly the details guests want to know most.
Sir Henry’s Haunted Trail in Plant City, FL opts to include their FAQs on their website rather than their ticketing page, but has one of the best, most comprehensive FAQ pages I’ve ever seen. They do require tickets to be purchased in advance, and it’s clearly spelled out in those FAQs.
What to include on your page:
- Whether tickets are available on site
- Box office hours
- Payment methods accepted on site
2. Is there an age limit?
Some haunts are kid-friendly, while others are strictly for adults. Even if you don’t have a hard & fast rule about who can enter your haunt, providing guests with a recommendation can be super helpful.
Often, it’s an adult asking whether they should really let their 10-year-old who thinks they are brave enough for your haunt visit. Sometimes it’s a parent asking if they can bring their one-year-old who they expect to sleep through all the flashing lights, chainsaws, and screaming. Every haunt is different, so it’s helpful when our team can let guests know whether they need a babysitter for the night.
The Nightmare at Owl Creek in San Antonio, TX does a nice job of clearly laying out their age requirements on their website, and recommendations for how kid-friendly their haunt is.
What to include on your page:
- Minimum Age Requirement (if you have one)
- Age Recommendations (if you don’t)
3. How long does it take to go through?
Some guests ask this question before purchasing their tickets: they want to know if it’s going to be worth the ticket price. Others are asking because they want to know how to plan their night: will they have time to visit two haunts in the same night? Can they make time for dinner afterwards?
I know how much walk-through times can vary. It depends not only on the walking speed of the individual guest, but also on how crowded the haunt is on a given night. And it can feel like you’re just picking a number arbitrarily sometimes. But giving your guests a rough idea or range of how much time they’ll spend inside your attraction helps them plan their night and set realistic expectations for their visit.
I love Lake Hickory Haunt’s in Hickory, NC comprehensive FAQ page (which they include on their website rather than ticketing page); it’s categorized by topic, so guests can find the exact answers they’re looking for.
What to include on your ticketing page:
- Average time it takes to experience your attraction(s)
4. Is there stuff to do while we wait?
I love seeing this question because it indicates that your guests want to spend MORE time at your haunt. They’re really asking: can I show up early and start enjoying the spooky-scary stuff right away?
We especially get this question with haunts using a virtual queue. Guests know there will be a wait, but they won’t be standing in a conga line. Should they just plan to wait in their car? Or is there fun stuff to entertain them until it’s their turn to enter?
Haunted Hills Haunted Attractions in Merrillville, IN has their activities listed right on the menu of their website, making it easy for guests to learn more about their extensive list of activities available.
What to include on your ticketing page:
- Any free or paid activities outside of your ticketed attractions
- Midway games
- Concessions
Gift shop - Photo ops
- Atmosphere characters
5. What’s the parking situation?
We get some form of this question regularly during Haunt Season. Can I pay for parking on site? Is parking free? Can I pay with a credit card?
For many haunts, you might think you don’t need parking details on your ticketing page. But it doesn’t take up much real estate on your page to include a simple “Free parking on site” line in your haunt description, and it will make a world of difference for anxious guests who want to know if they need to plan on hunting for a spot before their visit.
I love the way Heartstoppers Haunt in Rancho Cordova, CA, who charges a small $5 fee for parking, has their parking set up as a product right on their ticketing page. It makes it clear to guests that there is a fee, and makes it easy for them to pre-pay while they have their card out to buy tickets.
Fort Wayne Haunted Castle and Black Forest in Fort Wayne, IN has easy-to-follow parking instructions for guests right on their ticketing page.
What to include on your page:
- Is there parking on site?
- Is it free or paid? (And how much)
- Is it cash-only or can guests pay with card?
6. How scary is it?
I know many of you will laugh when you read that question. Like, hello, you’re at a haunted house! It’s going to be scary!
For some guests, this question is really about age appropriateness. They’re trying to decide if they can let their 14-year-old go through without being scarred for life. Others might be…asking for a friend.
Rather than answering this question with “it’s really scary!” I’d recommend giving some details that let guests decide for themselves how intense they will find the experience to be. For example, will the actors touch guests? Are there rooms with total blackout? Are there strobe effects or fog? From there, guests can decide for themselves.
Southern Screams in Charleston, SC does a nice job of answering this question on their FAQ site (which they very cleverly link to right from their ticketing page). And Factory of the Dead in Saginaw, MI manages to turn their answer into an upsell to future events (for those guests looking for something less scary) – genius!
What to include on your page:
- Any details about the intensity of your attraction(s)
- This is a great place to share your no-refunds policy (even if you get scared and can’t complete the haunt)
Final Thoughts
At HauntPay, our team wants to help your haunt get every single sale you can this season. And a key part of that means giving potential ticket buyers all the information they need to make a decision. The more information we have, the better we can help guests understand what to expect on site.
By including the answers to these six questions on your ticketing page, you’re powering our support team and your guests with exactly the info they need to confirm that buying tickets to your haunt is the right decision.
If we can ever assist with making changes or updates to your ticketing page for you, we’re here to help! Schedule a call with our team – now or after the season.
