Shopify Ticket Selector: setup, time slots and seating

Use the Ticket Selector to let customers choose dates, time slots, ticket types, and seats on your Shopify product page. Ticket Spot handles the event selection and booking rules; customers pay through Shopify checkout. There are two parts to setup: add the Ticket Selector app block to a Shopify product template, then assign that template to the linked event product. Turning on the selector setting alone does not add the block to your theme.

​

When to use the Ticket Selector

Use the selector for these Ticket Spot features. Shopify’s ordinary variant picker does not provide the seating map, calendar booking flow, or Ticket Spot access-code form.

​

Before you start

Connect your Shopify store, create the event, and publish it to Shopify. Use a Shopify theme with app-block support and an account that can edit themes. For reserved seating, publish a seating chart and assign its categories first. For a store that also sells merchandise, create a dedicated product template such as ticket-spot. Editing a shared template changes every product using it.

​

Install the product block

​

1. Open the Shopify theme editor

In Shopify Admin → Online Store, find the theme you want to use and click Edit theme. Some Shopify layouts show this under Online Store → Themes, with Customize as the button label.

​

2. Choose or create a product template

Open the page selector at the top of the editor, choose Products, then select your event template. If you need a new one, choose Create template, enter a name such as ticket-spot, and base it on your existing product template. Use the editor’s product preview to choose a product already linked to a Ticket Spot event. A preview selection does not assign the template to that product; you will do that below.

​

3. Add the Ticket Selector app block

Open Product information. In themes with nested groups, expand Details or the group where you want the selector. Choose Add block → Apps → Ticket Selector from Ticket Spot, then position it where customers should choose their tickets. Review the template’s ordinary Variant picker, Quantity selector, Buy buttons, and accelerated checkout controls. Hide or remove competing purchase controls on this event template so customers follow the selector and provide the required date, seat, or access information. Leave unrelated merchandise templates as they are.

​

4. Choose how it appears

Select the Ticket Selector block and set Display Mode: Click Save in Shopify. The block’s theme setting controls presentation; event dates, tickets, capacity, and questions are configured in Ticket Spot.

​

5. Assign the template to the linked event product

1. Return to the event in Ticket Spot and click Shopify · Product linked near the top. If the badge says Out of sync, open it and resolve the mapping warning first.
2. Under Product Page Settings, enable Use Ticket Spot Selector.
3. In Product Template, select the template containing the app block, such as Ticket spot.
4. Choose the remaining product options below and click Save Settings. Saving applies the template to the linked Shopify product.
5. Open the product on the storefront and confirm the selector appears.

The template list comes from your published Shopify theme. A template that exists only in a draft theme will not appear in this list. After saving a new template, reload the Ticket Spot event to refresh the choices. Selecting a template does not create its app block. You can also check the assignment in Shopify Admin → Products → your event product → Theme template. The template assigned to the product must match the one you edited.

​

Product settings and attendee details

The Shopify · Product linked badge opens the current Shopify Integration panel. Older screens may call it Shopify Setup. Product Template, Enable Direct Checkout, and Skip Attendee Details Form appear when Use Ticket Spot Selector is enabled. For separate details per ticket, leave the skip option off and enable Design → Widget → All Settings → Checkout → Collect attendee details for each ticket. Configure questions under the event’s Additional Info. Collection and Shopify inventory location are separate publishing settings. A Shopify inventory location is not the attendee-facing event venue.

​

Dates, seats, and access

​

Time slots and calendar selection on Shopify

1. In the event’s Dates & Times, create the recurring dates or Time Based sessions customers can book.
2. Set ticket quantities and the appropriate event or occurrence capacity. Use day-specific tickets for dates with different offers.
3. In Design → Widget, choose the date/time selection layout, including calendar presentation, using the checkout layout options.
4. Publish/update the Shopify product, then open it through the template containing the selector.
5. Check two dates and time slots, including an unavailable session. Confirm the chosen occurrence stays correct through checkout.

A calendar for choosing a date within one event is different from the Event Widget block that lists multiple events. See timed-entry setup.

​

Seating charts on Shopify

Create and publish the chart, assign it to the event, and connect its seating categories to ticket types. Customers select available seats in the Ticket Selector, then continue to Shopify checkout. If a category offers several prices, they choose the applicable ticket type too. Check the selected seats, ticket quantities, and total before payment, including on mobile. A temporary seat hold is not a completed booking. See seat selection.

​

Shared inventory across ticket variants

Shopify tracks inventory for individual variants. Ticket Spot also provides a shared Event Capacity limit across ticket types, with occurrence-specific capacity where configured. For example, a workshop can offer Adult and Child tickets while allowing only 30 attendees in total. Configure that shared capacity in Ticket Spot and use the Ticket Selector for the booking flow. Giving each Shopify variant stock of 30 does not, by itself, create one shared limit of 30. Keep ticket quantities and event/date capacities consistent, publish updates, and test a mixed-ticket selection near the limit. Review Out of sync warnings before selling. Do not assume a third-party buy button, POS flow, or direct Shopify variant link runs the Ticket Spot selector’s booking checks.

​

Event add-ons on Shopify

Create a separate event for each extra, enable Event Details → Hide Event from Event Listing, and publish every add-on to Shopify. The hide flag makes the linked product Unlisted. Attach these events under the main event’s Event Add-ons. Customers select main tickets first, then extras and any dates or times. Each add-on uses its first ticket and keeps its own quantity and capacity settings. Follow Shopify event add-on setup for screenshots, publishing steps, and a checkout checklist.

​

Waitlists on Shopify

Use the Ticket Selector for waitlists on Shopify, including invitation-only access from the start or after a chosen number of bookings. It displays the waitlist signup form and carries the guest’s invitation into the booking flow. Shopify’s standard variant picker does not provide those controls.

1. Open the event’s Waitlist → Settings and enable the waitlist. Choose the sold-out or event-capacity triggers you need.
2. To choose when public booking ends, set a finite Event Capacity, enable Limit waitlist purchases to event capacity, and set Start waitlist when bookings reach. This is a count of attendee places, not a date. 0 requires an invitation from the beginning; 40 with capacity 50 allows 40 public places before invitation-based access.
3. Save the event. Confirm its Shopify product uses the template containing Ticket Selector, with Use Ticket Spot Selector enabled.
4. In Waitlist → Subscribers → Notify Guests, select Purchase from Event Page and Use Shopify Product URL. Review any ticket restriction and maximum quantity, then send when ready.
5. Test the public product page and the complete personalized invitation link. Keep its invitation parameters intact. An invitation cannot exceed the event capacity or its allowed ticket quantity.

Waitlist signup still collects contact information when Skip Attendee Details Form is enabled. Joining the list does not purchase or reserve a ticket. See waitlist setup, invitations, and Shopify invoice behavior or the Shopify waitlist FAQ.

​

Access codes

An event access code controls access to the event; a hidden-ticket access code reveals an eligible ticket type. Configure the rule in Ticket Spot. For hidden tickets, enable Show access code field in Design → Widget → All Settings → Checkout. Test both an accepted and rejected code on the Shopify product. Access codes are different from discount codes. Keep personalized waitlist invitation links intact so the invited ticket and quantity remain available.

​

Tracking links to Shopify products

Open the event’s Tracking Links, create a campaign, and choose Use Shopify Product URL for its destination. Share the generated Tracking URL, keeping its tracking parameter intact. The app block passes Ticket Spot tracking parameters into the selector. Test the copied link and check attribution under Tracking Links. A normal product URL without that parameter does not identify the campaign. See tracking-link setup.

​

Choose the correct Shopify block

​

Setup video

Watch the Ticket Selector setup video. Theme layouts can differ; follow the template and block names shown in your store.

​

Pay-what-you-want tickets on Shopify

1. In the event’s Tickets editor, choose Pay What You Want and set the suggested price and Minimum Price. Your plan must include this ticket type.
2. Save and publish/update the linked Shopify product. The event and store must use the same currency.
3. Have customers choose their amount in the Ticket Spot selector, then continue to Shopify to pay. Shopify’s ordinary product form does not gain its own price input.
4. After a test payment is confirmed, verify the order, Ticket Spot attendee records, and ticket delivery. Reaching Shopify checkout alone does not issue tickets.

This flow supports ordinary tickets for one event or selected date, including several ticket types and a mix of fixed-price and pay-what-you-want tickets. It accepts up to 50 ticket types and 100 tickets per checkout, subject to each ticket’s own quantity rules. Mandatory fixed booking fees and Shopify-calculated taxes still apply. It cannot combine pay-what-you-want checkout with reserved seating, group tickets, passes, waitlist invitations, installments, pay-later, memberships, add-ons, volume pricing, optional booking fees, marketplace host payouts, or promotions. Automatic discounts and checkout discount codes are disabled for these orders. These restrictions concern the Shopify pay-what-you-want flow, not every Ticket Spot checkout.

​

Verify the complete purchase

Test each feature the event uses:

• Two dates/time slots, including one with different custom tickets or sold-out inventory.
• Each seating category and price choice, plus an unavailable seat and mobile full-screen selection.
• A valid and invalid access code; a dependent ticket with and without its Required Ticket.
• Minimum/maximum quantities, per-attendee details, and required questions.
• A waitlist invitation, its ticket restriction, and its quantity limit.
• The handoff to Shopify cart or checkout, completed order, Ticket Spot attendee records, ticket delivery, and Thank You page access.

​

Troubleshooting

Continue with the Shopify ticketing FAQ, Shopify connection and Thank You setup, or seat selection. Shopify reference: app blocks and product templates.