Scaling Peak-Season Ticket Sales: How Hersheypark Uses Galaxy® and Gateway’s New Web Store to Power Its Summer Promotion  

For Hersheypark, popular promotions can create a challenge that every successful attraction wants to have, and that is exceptionally high demand. While strong promotional offers can drive significant ticket sales, sudden increases in ecommerce traffic can also put pressure on an online store, creating technical barriers that prevent guests from completing their purchases.  

To address this challenge, the Hershey, Pa., attraction turned to its partnership with Gateway Ticketing Systems, specifically Galaxy^® and the new web store to handle the attraction’s seasonal promotion in early Summer. By directing a portion of its ecommerce traffic to the new platform from June 23, 2026, through June 30, 2026, Hersheypark sought to ensure that guests could purchase tickets successfully, even as order volume increased significantly.  

The limited-run implementation provided Hersheypark with an opportunity to test the new web store under real-world demand while establishing a foundation for its eventual full migration.  

Converting Peak Traffic into Completed Orders  

For the June promotion, Hersheypark wanted to take its ecommerce solution from good to great by testing an updated platform within Galaxy. The attraction needed to promote a compelling ticket offer without creating additional pressure on its ecommerce infrastructure. The primary objective was to provide a reliable purchasing experience capable of converting heightened traffic into completed orders and delivered tickets.  

Scalability was the primary factor behind Hersheypark’s decision to adopt the new web store for its early summer promotion. The attraction was particularly interested in the platform’s ability to accommodate increased demand while providing guests with a streamlined purchasing experience.  

Another feature that appealed to Hersheypark was the new  web store’s enhanced design and functionality. Rather than requiring guests to navigate away from the attraction’s website, the purchasing experience could remain within the context of hersheypark.com. This created a more seamless experience for guests while maintaining the connection to the Hersheypark brand.  

A Strategic Soft Launch  

Working together, the Gateway and Hersheypark teams uncovered that the promotion would benefit from leveraging functionality that was slated on the platform’s upcoming roadmap. Due to their strong partnership, Gateway understood what the attraction needed to be successful and responded quickly by building out these essential features in calendar and price program functionality.  

Hersheypark made the strategic decision to limit the soft launch to three products. This approach allowed the attraction to focus the initial implementation on successfully processing a high volume of ticket orders.  

Hersheypark also added a separate hyperlink to a product page to allow guests to purchase add-ons associated with certain tickets. The link allowed guests who needed additional products or functionality to move to the existing web store, which remained operational during the transition.  

Preparing for Launch  

Because the initial launch was designed to support high-volume sales, Hersheypark established clear go/no-go criteria centered on transaction reliability and performance under load.  

Several benchmarks were particularly important. Gateway first needed to conduct adequate load testing to demonstrate that the new platform could handle anticipated demand. Hersheypark then completed thorough validation of the store and purchasing process, testing the guest journey and confirming that orders could be successfully completed.  

The teams also conducted controlled A/B testing, gradually adjusting the percentage of sessions directed to the existing web store as well as the new web store. This measured approach allowed Hersheypark and Gateway to monitor performance and increase traffic to the new platform with greater confidence.  

The goal was not simply to launch a new ecommerce experience. It was to validate the platform in a live, high-demand environment while minimizing risk to guests and the promotion.  

Implementation and Use  

Hersheypark credited Gateway’s staff with excellent project management, noting that communication was prompt and thorough and that progress was managed effectively. As the launch approached, the Gateway and Hersheypark teams increasingly relied on transparent communication to troubleshoot and resolve questions quickly. Strong project management kept the project on track.  

The new web store was used for the final week in June specifically to support the summer promotion. The pilot provided excellent learning opportunities for both company’s project teams. The data will be used to further enhance the web store experience as Hersheypark and Gateway continue working toward a full migration.   

Results: More Than 7,500 Successful Orders  

The limited-run promotion provided strong proof for the new web store. Over the 8-day sales period, more than 7,500 orders were processed successfully through the platform.  

“Although not record-setting, we saw more than 7,500 orders successfully processed through the new web store across the 8-day sales period,” explained Steve Barrall, Manager, Ticketing Administration at Hershey Entertainment & Resorts.  

For Hersheypark, the significance of the result went beyond the number of transactions. The new platform demonstrated its ability to support a high-demand promotion without forcing the attraction to be overly concerned that the popularity of the offer would create a negative guest experience. Guests were able to select and purchase their tickets, while Galaxy efficiently processed the resulting orders.  

The new web store also delivered an important operational benefit by reducing the need for post-sale resolution. In previous high-volume sales periods, failed or incomplete transactions could require significant staff time to investigate and resolve.  

“The new web store improved order efficiency and saved us time by eliminating the post-sale resolution that was so often the result of heavy order volume in the past,” Barrall commented.  

Building the Foundation for Full Migration  

The June promotion represented only the first step in Hersheypark’s broader ecommerce strategy. The successful soft launch provided the attraction with greater clarity and confidence as Hershey Entertainment & Resorts evaluates how to leverage newer ecommerce technology to improve the online guest experience.  

In the short term, success was measured by the platform’s ability to meet purchasing demand. Over the long term, Hersheypark will evaluate its web store based on how effectively it enables guests to plan and secure their Hersheypark experiences while supporting the attraction’s business objectives.  

The platform also offers capabilities that are important to Hersheypark’s future ecommerce strategy. The web store is expected to provide a scalable ecommerce environment that can dynamically accommodate peak demand while allowing guests to remain on hersheypark.com.  

The ability to make real-time changes to products and offerings is another significant advantage. In contrast to the approximately 45-minute publishing delay associated with the previous environment, the new platform can provide greater agility when updating ecommerce offerings.  

Looking Ahead  

Hersheypark’s experience with the new web store demonstrated the value of taking a measured approach to ecommerce modernization. Rather than attempting an immediate, full-scale migration, the attraction used a high-demand promotional period to validate the platform, identify functionality gaps, test operational processes, and demonstrate its ability to successfully handle significant transaction volume.  

“Our experience with the Gateway team for this project has been superb. The team showed clear dedication and resolve to support Hershey Entertainment & Resorts with a successful launch of the new web store,” Barrall stated. “There’s more work to be done, and we look forward to continuing to build upon this solid foundation.”  

As Hersheypark transitions from its measured soft launch toward full adoption, its teams are working with Gateway to ensure that the new web store supports the features and functionality currently available in the legacy environment.  

Hersheypark views this as a strong path forward for its ecommerce strategy. The attraction expects to migrate its ticket sales entirely to the new web store within the coming months.  

Ultimately, the goal is larger than replacing one ecommerce platform with another. Hersheypark is seeking to create a more reliable, flexible, and scalable digital purchasing experience that can respond to peak demand in a dynamic manner while making it easier for guests to purchase tickets and plan their visits.  

“Gateway presented the new web store as a solution to past system challenges and supported its launch as our improved, scalable, and reimagined future of ecommerce,” Barrall added.  

Interested in learning more about what we offer?  

Galaxy® Kiosks Transform Food & Beverage at The Living Desert Zoo and Gardens  
USS Midway Museum Streamlines Donation Program with DonationMatch and Galaxy Connect™ Integration