Selling event tickets through your own WooCommerce store gives you full control over your revenue, your customer data, and your brand. No platform fees, no revenue sharing, no dependency on third-party services that could change their pricing tomorrow.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to turn any WooCommerce product into a scannable event ticket — complete with unique QR codes, downloadable PDFs, and a built-in browser-based scanner for check-in at the door.
Most event organizers start with platforms like Eventbrite or Ticketmaster. These work fine at first, but the costs add up fast. Eventbrite charges up to 6.95% + $0.99 per ticket. For a 500-person event at $50 per ticket, that’s over $2,000 in fees — money that could stay in your pocket.
With WooCommerce, you already have a payment system, customer accounts, and email infrastructure. All you need is a plugin that adds ticketing functionality on top of it. That’s exactly what Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner does.
Before we start, make sure you have these basics in place:
A WordPress website with WooCommerce installed and activated. At least one payment gateway configured (Stripe, PayPal, or any WooCommerce-compatible gateway). The free Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner plugin installed. That’s it. The plugin works with your existing WooCommerce setup — no additional services or subscriptions required for basic ticketing.
Go to your WordPress admin panel, navigate to Plugins → Add New, and search for “Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner.” Install and activate it. You’ll see a new “Event Tickets” menu item in your admin sidebar.
Under Event Tickets → Ticket Lists, create a new ticket list. This is where your tickets will be organized. Think of it like a container for a specific event. Give it a descriptive name like “Summer Music Festival 2026” or “Workshop Series March.”
You can set the total number of available tickets here. The plugin will automatically track how many have been sold and prevent overselling.
Now go to WooCommerce → Products and either create a new product or edit an existing one. In the product settings, you’ll find a new “Ticket Sales” option. Enable it and select the ticket list you just created.
When a customer purchases this product, they’ll automatically receive a unique ticket with a QR code. The ticket number, QR code, and a download link are all included in the order confirmation email.
The plugin includes a browser-based QR code scanner that works on any smartphone or tablet. No app installation needed — just open the scanner page in your mobile browser, point it at the ticket’s QR code, and the system validates it instantly.
You can authorize specific staff members to use the scanner by creating scanner accounts under Event Tickets → Authorizations. Each staff member gets their own login credentials.
The free version generates basic tickets with QR codes. If you want branded, professional-looking PDF tickets, the Premium version includes a visual PDF ticket designer where you can add your logo, custom colors, background images, and flexible QR code positioning.
Seating Charts: The Premium version includes a drag-and-drop seating plan designer. You can create venue layouts with individual seats, tables, standing areas, and color-coded categories. Customers choose their exact seat during checkout.
Multi-Entry Tickets: Sell passes that allow multiple entries — perfect for festivals, gym memberships, or spa day passes where attendees come and go.
Ticket Variants: Use WooCommerce product variations to create different ticket types (General Admission, VIP, Early Bird) with different prices and availability.
Badge Designer: Create attendee badges and event passes alongside your tickets. Useful for conferences and trade shows.
Once your ticketing system is set up, here are some proven strategies to boost sales:
Create urgency with early bird pricing. Set up a discounted “Early Bird” ticket variant with limited quantity. When it sells out, customers see only the regular-price option.
Use WooCommerce coupons. Create discount codes for partners, sponsors, or social media promotions. WooCommerce’s built-in coupon system works seamlessly with your ticket products.
Display remaining ticket counts. Enable stock display on your product page. Seeing “Only 23 tickets remaining” creates natural urgency.
Leverage your email list. Since all customers are in your WooCommerce database, you can send targeted follow-up emails for future events.
You don’t need Eventbrite, Ticketmaster, or any other platform to sell event tickets professionally. With WooCommerce and the right plugin, you keep 100% of your revenue, own your customer relationships, and get features like seating charts and QR scanning that some platforms charge premium prices for.
Try Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner for free and see how easy it is to turn your WooCommerce store into a full-featured ticketing platform.