Online movie ticketing company Fandango is partnering with Regal Entertainment Group to roll out a mobile ticketing program in select markets across the United States to cut down on paper movie tickets.

The program is being tested in more than 1,000 Regal Entertainment Group-owned theaters. Fandango is rolling out the program after seeing a 73 percent increase in mobile sales over the past year.

“Now, when moviegoers buy a ticket, they can opt to have a mobile bar code sent directly to their phone,” said Mark Young, vice president of mobile strategy and business development at NBCUniversal, New York.

“They no longer need to print out a ticket or pick up tickets at the theater’s kiosk,” he said.

NBCUniversal oversees Fandango.

Mobile movies
To participate in the mobile ticketing program, consumers can choose to have their tickets sent directly to their phones when they buy tickets via Fandango’s mobile applications or Web site.

Each time a consumer buys tickets on Fandango, the company sends an email confirmation to the user. From there, consumers can click a link to sign up for the service on a mobile landing page.

After entering their phone number, consumers are sent a text message with a link, which takes users to an optimized Web site with a mobile bar code.

Users can then show the mobile bar code at the movie theater and have it scanned by an employee.

Here is the message consumers get after opting-in to the mobile ticketing program

The program is being tested in key markets, including Chicago, San Francisco, Seattle and New York.

In addition to the partnership with Regal Entertainment Group, Fandango is also using mobile ticketing with Reading Cinemas and Hollywood Theaters.

Feature presentation
Mobile ticketing builds on Fandango’s solid mobile repertoire, which includes mobile apps and a mobile-optimized Web site.

The company claims that 40 percent of traffic comes from mobile devices.

Additionally, mobile made up 20 percent of Fandango’s sales this summer for the film “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2.”

Fandango also has apps for the iPad, iPhone, Android, Android tablet, Windows 7, Windows Slate, BlackBerry, Barnes and Noble Nook and Palm Pre devices.

Movie goers can also opt in to Fandango’s SMS program to find showtimes near them by sending their ZIP code to the short code 36346.

“Given the dramatic increase in Fandango’s mobile traffic and ticket sales, moviegoers have made it clear that mobile is a preferred method to obtain movie information and tickets,” Mr. Young said.

“Fandango’s goal has always been to offer its services wherever the consumer is on any device at any time, and our new mobile ticket feature adds another layer of convenience for consumers on the go, giving them the opportunity to bypass lines at the box office and the ticketing kiosk at the theater,” he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York