Why B2B Travel Technology is Vital to the Industry
Depending on who you speak to, there are different definitions of what constitutes travel technology. As a travel marketplace provider, we certainly see that definition in a different light to a transport company like Uber or an OTA like Expedia. Our job as a (mostly) B2B service is to enable operators to reach as many travellers as possible. We provide the travel technology and work in the space in between operators and customers.
But it makes sense that, as technology becomes more of a feature in our daily lives, travel companies of one sort or another will utilise different aspects and become a part of the 'travel technology' family. A case in point is Skift's Travel Tech 250, which includes everything from deal sites like GroupOn to rental platforms and price comparison websites.
Travel Technology Now Comes In Many Forms
From looking through Skift's map of '250 travel tech companies' shaping the modern day travel experience, it's clear to see that travel tech has an extremely broad meaning. It spans marketplaces for travel, transport and accommodation. There are also B2B services covering distribution, booking engines and even travel industry marketing specialists.
As Skift writes, "We recognize that the travel industry is in constant flux, with new brands and disruptors coming on line all of the time. The design we chose for this visualization is exactly that – a snapshot of what the industry looks like today."
Sure, we might be biased, but we think we deserve a little more recognition here. Not in terms of being included, although that would be nice. But in terms of the significance of what we and other booking engines do. The Skift image is just a snapshot of the industry as a whole, so let's try to explain why what we do is so vital.
As more and more travellers research and organise their trips online, having a web presence is becoming a prerequisite to winning bookings from international tourists.
But that's putting it mildly. Having an online presence is a pre-condition to attracting tourists in the same way that having a warm pair of socks is needed if you're going to climb Mt Everest. There's a lot more to it than that. There are some serious marketing challenges facing small travel operators that we've outlined again and again.
The first - and most important - is being discovered. An online presence is worth nothing unless people can find it. Only once your products are found can you begin actually selling them. This is getting harder by the day for two reasons. First, a small number of B2C travel industry giants dominate search engine results. And by dominate, we mean that you'll be lucky to get a look in. They've got more content than you, more backlinks than you, and you can bet that their marketing budgets far exceed your own.
The second challenge to getting noticed is increased competition from other smaller operators. As they fight to take traffic from the big guys, many smaller travel startups are making life harder for each other.
But it's not all bad...
But there is a silver lining. There are two, in fact. The first is that once they get over the hurdle of being heard, smaller operators are in a unique position to concentrate on a single niche. They can then easily build brand awareness and customer loyalty around that target market. By definition, smaller travel operators can be lean, more flexible and highly specialised. That's the personal touch that many travellers want, not a mass tourism package trip churned out by an industry giant.
With specialised knowledge comes a specialised service. And with that comes a trip that travellers remember for all the right reasons.
Why True Travel Technology is an Enabler
In our view, true B2B travel technology is tech that helps startups in the industry overcome the challenges mentioned above. True travel technology is empowering, breaks down conventional barriers and gives the small guys a fighting chance against established dominance.
Sure: all of the companies listed above under 'Travel technology' are, according to Skift, "shaping the modern-day travel experience". We don't deny that Uber, Secret Escapes and Trivago are all offering valuable services that the industry couldn't do without. Yet the key word for us in that Skift definition is 'experience'.
Shaping the Travel Experience for the Better
Here at Travelshift, we firmly believe that smaller operators are in a much better position to give 21st century travellers the immersive trips and personalised service they're looking for.
As we've mentioned before, there is a fear that the combining forces of big data and seamless integration will leave the largest technology companies in the best position to dominate the travel industry - even more so than the current industry giants. There is no telling what kind of impact even more dominance in the hands of a few major players will have on the traveller experience.
That's why we are remaining firmly in the corner of the little guys, enabling them to compete with travel industry giants with our unique, feature-packed marketplace software. We hope that the result will be a greater number of specialised marketplaces, catering to their chosen niche and providing the best possible experience to travellers - right the way through from booking to returning home.
Our Travel Technology Gives Smaller Operators The Platform They Deserve
As we've mentioned, setting up in the travel industry and offering your expertise to tourists is only the first step on a long, difficult journey. Many fall at the opening hurdles, and many more follow suit soon after that.
That's why we put our heads together before launching our first platform in 2014 to produce the perfect solution: A travel marketplace that brings together small operators and allows them to reach a larger audience than they could ever imagine when working as individual suppliers.
Take a look at the impact our platform had in its opening few years when combined with the Iceland tourism boom.
This goes to show that a small but dedicated (and talented) team can achieve great things with the right travel technology in place. Our aim is for the same platform solution and techniques to be used to develop partnerships and niche marketplaces all over the world.
The result will be the growth of smaller travel operators, as they each benefit from the support and association of a marketplace that's purpose-built to drive traffic and sales for niche travel sectors. More success among smaller operators promises to shift the travel landscape, provide tourists with more authentic experiences and bring back the concept of 'loyalty' to an industry that has lost its personal touch.
All of this takes us back to the title of this post. So why are B2B travel technology suppliers so vital to the industry? Simply put, we support startups and breed innovation. We make things happen.
More Than Just Another Booking Engine
Earlier in this post we compared having an online presence in the travel industry to having a pair of socks at the base of Mount Everest: It's only the beginning. And the same can be said for having a travel marketplace that aggregates operators in your chosen niche.
Building a marketplace is only half of the challenge. You still need to market it properly, to streamline its systems and drive as many sales as possible.
That's where Travelshift's technology comes in. Our marketplace solution has been honed over time and proven in practice. It's complete with localisation features, built-in SEO tools, flexible inventory systems and much more besides. Most important of all, the Travelshift platform was built and designed to bring in as much relevant traffic as possible.
To do that, we've combined a smart, flexible SaaS travel marketplace solution with unparalleled content marketing capabilities. But the key is where that content comes from: The community. By encouraging locals and tour guides to contribute article and blog posts, our platform allows you to amass a huge social media following and drive significantly more traffic into the marketplace than operators can manage independently. With our tools and no shortage of hard work, you can quickly become the leading producer of content in your field.
Community-driven content is a foundation of our success, and we're convinced that the model can be applied to any number of travel niches.
Feeling Inspired?
We're always on the lookout for new partners, exciting startups and talented individuals to work with. If you'd like to be considered, all we need from you is a discovery letter. In the letter, you should indicate as concisely as possible the following elements of your proposal:
- Define the market. What are you trying to aggregate?
- How do you plan to bring in suppliers and/or access inventory?
- What is your preferred form of partnership (joint venture, revenue sharing agreement, etc)?
You can send your discovery letters to info@travelshift.com.
The travel industry is an exciting and thriving sector with a seemingly endless amount of business opportunities and prospective ventures. We love to team up with intelligent and creative people and enjoy receiving new proposals. Get in touch with us today!