As predicted, retailers and brands were eager to announce their partnerships with Apple’s Passbook this week, which is part of the manufacturer’s new iOS 6 software update. The built-in app uses location and time to store and serve content to users.

“The new Passbook app is a perfect complement to Fandango’s Mobile Ticket feature,” said Jessica Yi, chief product officer at Fandango, Los Angeles.

“It’s a great way for Fandango users to store their tickets in one place and quickly access them on their device,” she said.

“Fandango’s goal has always been to make going to the movies as simple, convenient and fun as possible, and Passbook represents yet another step to improve the moviegoing process.”

Store on mobile
Fandango is using Passbook to help users store their mobile tickets.

Fandango’s mobile ticketing service is available for more than 2,600 movie screens, including Regal, Hollywood, Cinemark, Regency and Century theaters.

Consumers who buy tickets from these theaters can choose to have their ticket sent to them via text message or email, which includes a link to a specific unique landing page. From there, consumers show their devices to an employee at the theater to be admitted.

With the addition of Passbook, consumers can now choose to store the bar code ticket inside the Passbook app. The app then uses a device’s built-in GPS to automatically bring up the ticket on a user’s home screen when they are close to the theater.

Digital wallet
Brands are using Passbook for other features besides ticketing, too.

For example, Sephora is leveraging the app as a digital storage space for its Beauty Insider loyalty program. Consumers who sign-into the Sephora app using their log-in information can choose to save the card to Passbook for quick reference in the future.

Similarly, Target is using the app to drive in-store traffic by pushing its time-sensitive coupons.

Given the location-sensitive features, Target’s use of Passbook shows how the app could be particularly effective at increasing foot traffic for retailers. Additionally, tying the app with coupons gives consumers an incentive to use the app.

Other brands using Passbook include United Airlines, Live Nation, MLB and Walgreens.

For Fandango specifically, the news shows how the company is increasingly thinking mobile-first about how consumers want to buy movie tickets.

“It’s clear that mobile is playing an increasingly larger role in the moviegoing process, and as consumer adoption of mobile ticket buying grows, mobile will of course continue to be a major priority for the company,” Ms. Yi said.

“Mobile ticket sales for the summer of 2012 increased 116 percent year-over-year, and mobile purchases now account for nearly 30 percent of overall ticket sales on Fandango,” she said.

“As for the future, we’ll continue to expand Fandango’s paperless Mobile Ticket program, and continue to roll out our Reserved Seating feature in which users can choose their seats on their mobile devices. As Fandango apps have now been downloaded more than 26 million times, we’ll continue to provide the best mobile experience for virtually every device.”

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York