Eventbrite, Inc. (EB): 5 FORCES Analysis [Nov-2025 Updated]

You're looking at Eventbrite, Inc. (EB) and wondering where the real pressure points are in late 2025. Honestly, the picture is complex: while they've built a base of 162,000 paid creators as of Q3 2025, the market is squeezing them from every angle. With a modest full-year revenue outlook of $290 million to $293 million, the low switching costs for event creators mean customer power is defintely high, and rivalry with specialized platforms is fierce. Let's break down exactly how these five forces-from supplier leverage to the threat of a new niche entrant-are shaping the strategy for Eventbrite, Inc. (EB) right now.

Eventbrite, Inc. (EB) - Porter's Five Forces: Bargaining power of suppliers

You're analyzing Eventbrite, Inc.'s (EB) supplier power, and the picture is one where a few key technology partners hold significant sway over the platform's operational costs and flexibility. This concentration of power is a near-term risk you need to model into your valuation.

Eventbrite, Inc. exhibits a high reliance on a small number of critical infrastructure providers. For cloud services, the top three providers-including Amazon Web Services (AWS)-accounted for approximately 66% of the cloud market at the start of 2023, indicating a tight oligopoly that Eventbrite, Inc. must navigate. This reliance extends to payment processing, where the use of a single, integrated processor, like Eventbrite Payment Processing, centralizes dependency.

The cost environment for these essential suppliers has been inflationary. While the specific average increase for Eventbrite, Inc.'s direct suppliers is cited as 7.2% in 2023, general cloud infrastructure spending saw an increase of 23% in 2023, showing the broader pressure on tech costs. This upward cost pressure from suppliers directly impacts Eventbrite, Inc.'s gross margins.

Switching costs for major technology platforms are substantial, creating lock-in. The estimated switching cost for major tech platforms is cited up to $750,000. To give you some context on migration spend, moving a mid-sized business's mixed legacy and custom applications to the cloud can range from $100,000 to $300,000 upfront. This high barrier to exit strengthens supplier negotiation power.

The concentration within payment processing gives vendors leverage. Eventbrite, Inc. itself charges a payment processing fee of 2.9% of the total order for its own processing service in the US. This is layered on top of the standard service fee, which in the US is 3.7% + $1.79 per sold ticket. The structure of these fees, which can result in total fees of 10.4% on a $50 ticket, highlights the importance of the underlying payment infrastructure costs.

Furthermore, these tech providers are not static; they are moving into Eventbrite, Inc.'s core business space. We see evidence of this as one major cloud provider is enabling customers to build new payment infrastructure directly on its platform, and payment partners like Stripe rely on AWS to build their own fraud prevention products. This forward-integration risk is amplified by the adoption of new technology, such as building solutions on AWS Bedrock to automate processes, which could lead to suppliers offering end-to-end event tools.

Here is a quick look at the fee structure that illustrates the supplier cost component:

The key supplier risks for Eventbrite, Inc. are summarized below:

• Reliance on top cloud providers, who hold 66% market share.
• Supplier technology costs saw an average increase of 7.2% in 2023.
• High switching costs, estimated up to $750,000.
• Payment processing fees are concentrated at 2.9% plus fixed costs.
• Tech providers are forward-integrating with AI tools.

Finance: draft a sensitivity analysis on a 50-basis-point increase in payment processing fees by Q2 2026, owner: CFO.

Eventbrite, Inc. (EB) - Porter's Five Forces: Bargaining power of customers

You're analyzing Eventbrite, Inc.'s customer power, and honestly, the event creators-your direct customers-hold a lot of cards right now. The ease of entry onto the platform keeps their options wide open. Eventbrite, Inc. lets creators publish an unlimited number of free events with no service or payment processing fees applied to those tickets. That's a zero-cost entry point, which means if you're unhappy, walking away costs you nothing to start testing another platform.

The fee structure for paid events definitely feels the heat from competitors. While the outline suggests a pressure point around a 2.5% + $0.99 structure, the reality for many US-based paid ticket sales on the Pro plan as of late 2025 is a service fee of 3.7% + $1.79 per ticket, plus an additional payment processing fee of 2.9% of the total order. That combination creates significant sticker shock for organizers, especially when alternatives promise simpler, lower-cost models. It's a tough spot when your primary revenue driver is also your biggest point of friction.

Here's the quick math on how those fees compound for a typical paid ticket in the US, using the latest reported structure:

What this estimate hides is that Eventbrite, Inc. often passes these fees to the buyer, but the perceived cost to the organizer-and the resulting attendee friction-remains high. For high-volume creators, this percentage-plus-fixed-fee model is definitely less appealing than a flat-rate subscription or a lower percentage-only structure offered elsewhere.

To counter this, large event organizers definitely have leverage. Eventbrite, Inc. acknowledges this by offering 'tailored plans for event pros with unique needs' and 'customized pricing' for hosting large or complex events. This means the biggest customers can negotiate terms that bypass the standard published rates, putting pressure on the company's standardized revenue per ticket. If onboarding takes 14+ days, churn risk rises.

Customers have numerous, viable alternatives, which is the core of this bargaining power. The market is saturated with platforms catering to different niches and price sensitivities. You see strong competition from established enterprise players and nimble, low-cost challengers alike. The key alternatives you need to watch include:

• Cvent: Best for large, enterprise-level events.
• Bizzabo: Great for B2B events with robust branding.
• Stova (as mentioned in your prompt).
• Ticket Tailor: Known for simple, affordable, and transparent pricing.
• TicketSpice: Often cited as a low-cost, user-friendly option.
• Other notable platforms include Eventcube, Ticketbud, Eventify, and Zoho Backstage.

Still, Eventbrite, Inc. maintains a massive base, which provides some inherent stickiness. As of Q3 2025, the platform served 162,000 paid creators. That number, while down less than 1% year-over-year, shows a highly diverse and non-concentrated base of customers, meaning no single creator holds enough volume to dictate terms across the entire platform, outside of the top tier who can access those custom deals. Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday.

Eventbrite, Inc. (EB) - Porter's Five Forces: Competitive rivalry

You're looking at Eventbrite, Inc. (EB) in late 2025, and the competitive rivalry is definitely a major headwind. The market for event ticketing and management is vast, but Eventbrite, Inc. (EB) is fighting for every dollar. The company's full-year 2025 net revenue outlook sits between $290 million and $293 million, which, honestly, shows a moderate scale in a market that is still massive. For context, Q3 2025 net revenue was $71.7 million, and the company is valued on an EV/FY25 adjusted EBITDA multiple of 9.1x based on the midpoint of guidance, which suggests investors are pricing in this competitive pressure.

The rivalry is intense, driven by the sheer number of players. While you mentioned Ticketmaster, Dice, and Universe, the landscape is far more fragmented. Eventbrite, Inc. (EB) holds a 51.05% market share in the reservation-online-booking market segment tracked by 6sense in 2025, but that still leaves nearly half the market to others. The competition isn't just from the giants; it's from a long tail of specialized and low-cost alternatives.

Here's a look at Eventbrite, Inc. (EB)'s position versus some tracked competitors in the Reservation And Online Booking category as of 2025:

The low customer switching costs definitely fuel this competition. An organizer can move their event registration to a new platform relatively easily, especially if a competitor offers a compelling pricing structure. Eventbrite, Inc. (EB) is trying to combat this by focusing on creator value, evidenced by its Eventbrite Ads platform growing 38% year-over-year in Q3 2025, and by aggressively managing costs, with Q3 2025 operating expense run rates declining to $50 million.

The market fragmentation is clear when you see the breadth of alternatives available to event organizers:

• Cvent - Best for large, enterprise-level events.
• Whova - Strong hybrid features and networking tools.
• Ticket Tailor - Simple, affordable, and transparent pricing.
• TicketSpice - Low-cost platform with flat fee options.
• Eventzilla - Robust features for bigger events.
• Zoho Backstage - Commission-free ticketing option.

To fight this, Eventbrite, Inc. (EB) executed a major strategic pivot in 2025 with a full rebrand to an experience-first ecosystem. This wasn't just a logo change; it was a move to compete with social discovery tools like TikTok and Spotify Concerts, aiming to be a destination for inspiration, not just transactions. This shift is an attempt to increase customer lock-in by embedding itself deeper into the event-going lifestyle, moving beyond just ticketing.

Furthermore, rivals are carving out profitable niches. For instance, Bizzabo is specifically noted as being great for B2B events with robust branding options. This specialization forces Eventbrite, Inc. (EB) to either compete on features for every segment or lean heavily into its new, broader 'experience-first' narrative. The pressure is constant; the company needs to see that paid ticket volume, which was 19.1 million in Q3 2025, return to consistent growth from the weakened base of 19.6 million in Q1 2025.

Finance: draft 13-week cash view by Friday

Eventbrite, Inc. (EB) - Porter's Five Forces: Threat of substitutes

You're analyzing Eventbrite, Inc. (EB) in late 2025, and the threat of substitutes is definitely a major factor shaping its strategy, especially given the recent 8% year-over-year decline in Net Revenue to $71.7 million in Q3 2025.

The primary substitutes are no longer just other ticketing sites; they are the platforms where consumers spend their time discovering content and community. Eventbrite's own 2025 rebrand signals this shift, aiming to become a 'discovery-first event platform' to counter the pull of social media.

Social media platforms (TikTok, Instagram) are primary substitutes for event discovery.

• 30% of Gen Z use TikTok to discover live experiences.
• Eventbrite has launched an integration to allow ticket purchases directly on TikTok.
• The company is competing with Instagram's organic discovery mechanisms.

Direct-to-consumer ticketing via proprietary websites or simple payment links is common.

This trend is supported by the broader growth in e-commerce, where U.S. retail e-commerce sales hit $300.1 billion in Q3 2024, making up 16.2% of total retail sales. While the global online event ticketing market is large, valued at about $42.67 billion in 2025, the ease of a brand selling directly (D2C) bypasses platform fees, putting pressure on Eventbrite's take rate, which was already impacted by the elimination of organizer fees.

Music streaming services like Spotify integrate concert ticketing and recommendations.

This is a potent substitute because it intercepts the consumer at the moment of high intent-listening to the artist. While Eventbrite is focused on its core marketplace, other platforms are proving the model works. For instance, one competitor reported that its Spotify integration promoted over 4,000+ events, resulting in 5,000 tickets sold and £120,000 in additional revenue for organizers from that single channel. Live Nation has also confirmed discussions with Spotify regarding inventory for presales.

DIY event management tools and basic registration forms serve small, free events.

The market is fragmenting toward smaller, more intimate gatherings, which are easier to manage outside a large platform. Organizers anticipate this shift, with 63% of them thinking consumers are looking for more micro-events. These smaller events often rely on simpler, lower-cost registration tools or even basic forms.

The company must adapt to the consumer shift toward 'Fourth Spaces' for community.

Community is now seen as a business driver. To counter the community focus of social platforms, organizers are prioritizing this aspect on Eventbrite, with 8-in-10 believing it is important to grow communities around their events. This suggests attendees are seeking connection, not just a transaction, which substitutes like dedicated community apps or social groups can offer.

Here's a quick look at how key metrics related to Eventbrite's performance and the substitute landscape stack up as of late 2025:

The pressure is clear: Eventbrite's core transaction volume is shrinking slightly, down 3% year-over-year in paid tickets, while its competitors are embedding themselves deeper into the discovery and community phases of the event lifecycle.

Eventbrite, Inc. (EB) - Porter's Five Forces: Threat of new entrants

The threat of new entrants for Eventbrite, Inc. is a complex dynamic, balancing the low initial cost of launching a basic platform against the massive capital and network scale required to truly compete at the global level. Honestly, you can spin up a simple Software as a Service (SaaS) ticketing site relatively cheaply.

Barriers to entry are low for basic, self-service ticketing platforms. For an entrepreneur looking to build a Minimum Viable Product (MVP), development costs might range from $5,000 to $30,000 USD, with an additional $15,000 reserved for initial marketing. However, this only gets you in the door; the economics for a low-end startup are brutal because achieving the necessary Customer Acquisition Costs (CACs) to scale against established players is nearly impossible without deep pockets.

Significant capital is required to build network effects and achieve scale. To truly compete with the established ecosystem, a new entrant might need to raise between $25 to $50 million of equity just to attempt to reach the scale necessary to challenge incumbents. Eventbrite, Inc. already operates in nearly 180 countries and maintained 92.3 million monthly active users in Q3 2025, demonstrating the sheer scale a new competitor must overcome to offer comparable value to both sides of its marketplace. The value of a network scales exponentially, meaning a new platform starts at zero value.

The established brand and network of Eventbrite, Inc. create a significant network barrier. As of the third quarter of 2025, the company reported 162,000 paid creators on its platform. This creator base, combined with the millions of consumers who use the platform to discover events, creates a powerful two-sided market effect that new entrants struggle to replicate quickly. If you're an event organizer, you go where the buyers are, and vice versa.

Regulatory hurdles and compliance for payment processing are high entry costs, especially for a platform handling high transaction volumes globally. While basic setup might be cheap, the cost of compliance is not. For large businesses, adhering to standards like PCI-DSS and GDPR can cost up to $1 million annually. Furthermore, non-compliance with PCI DSS can lead to monthly fines ranging from $5,000 to $100,000, depending on the card brand and processor. This forces new entrants to build robust, expensive compliance frameworks from day one, which is a major capital drain.

Still, the threat isn't zero, because new entrants can easily target niche markets with specialized, feature-rich platforms. Instead of fighting Eventbrite, Inc. head-on across all event types, a focused competitor can enter by dominating a specific vertical, such as hyper-local community events or a particular genre like professional networking meetups, where demand currently outweighs supply. For instance, in networking meetups, 29% of people sought more options in 2025, while only 19% of organizers hosted them. This specialization allows a startup to build a strong, defensible network effect within a smaller pond before attempting to scale.

You need to decide if you're building a niche tool or a global competitor; the capital requirements are worlds apart.

Finance: finalize the Q4 2025 operating expense budget by next Tuesday.