As you can see from our stories below, it was a rather quiet week for online travel. Enjoy.
Want to Play a Game While You Book That Vacation Package?
("OYO, Hopper bet on gamification to drive user
retention," March 7, 2022 via Phocus Wire)
Yes, another story about Hopper. Last week, Skift ran an
interesting story on plans by both OYO and Hopper to incorporate
games into their booking platforms. Both companies view games as a
means to higher user retention and ultimately to achieving the
much-desired super app status. According to Hopper, it is exploring
both "game theory" (using rewards to drive desired
outcomes) and actual games that entertain users and drive repeat
visits (and ultimately, bookings). The Chinese e-commerce site,
Pinduoduo, is one example that Hopper identifies where game theory
and actual games have led to significant numbers of repeat users.
Rather than investing in paid search marketing (like the majority
of Hopper's major booking platform competitors), Hopper is
exploring using its marketing resources to reward frequent users
with discounts and other financial rewards.
Hotelbeds Gets Creative in the Face of
Competition
("Hotelbeds expands partnership with RateTiger as the
company launches new pricing model," March 4, 2022 via
Hospitality Net - Latest Industry News)
As Expedia's wholesale platform expands (albeit, slowly) and
Booking Holdings prepares for the launch of its competing wholesale
platform via Priceline, Hotelbeds is apparently turning to creative
options to remain relevant and competitive. Last week, Hotelbeds
announced, in collaboration with connectivity solution/channel
manager, Rate Tiger, a new occupancy-based pricing model that
Hotelbeds claims will provide suppliers greater pricing control and
ultimately, visibility. Little detail was provided about the model
in the announcement.
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