BackTravel meta search engine ixigo to offer instant booking
ixigo will now allow travellers to make bookings within its app without being redirected to a third-party app or website
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Mumbai: Le Travenues Technology Pvt. Ltd, which runs ixigo.com, will now allow travellers to make bookings for flights and hotels within its app without being redirected to a third-party app or website.
ixigo.com has launched instant booking facility—“ixibook", and has collaborated with online travel agency Cleartrip Pvt. Ltd and OYO Rooms (Oravel Stays Pvt. Ltd) as its launch partners for flights and hotels, respectively.
Most recently, stiff competition from online travel agencies and the disruptive travel start-ups have forced the world’s largest travel review portal TripAdvisor to turn itself into a site that can help in direct hotel booking and offer reviews.
On 4 February, TripAdvisor allowed instant booking for hotels to nine English-speaking countries, including India.
“The idea is simple. We need to shorten the conversion funnel," says Aloke Bajpai, chief executive officer and co-founder of ixigo.com in a phone interview. “We will help you in comparing the ticket prices or hotel rates and help you in booking the same in one click," Bajpai says.
Asked about whether ixigo is diluting the edge as a meta search engine, Bajpai says: “No. We are reinforcing the business model by rightly positioning as meta search plus book. We are neither becoming an OTA or an intermediary since bookings still happen directly with them and they handle the customer support. We are simply helping the customer with a one click booking flow of our partner."
“We will actually expand to more users by providing the best comparison and booking experience and convert users directly in our app. We have rolled out with select partners and we shall extend this to more partners in coming months," Bajpai added.
Launched in 2007 in Gurgaon, India by Bajpai and Rajnish Kumar, ixigo aggregates and compares real-time travel information, prices and availability for flights, trains, buses, cabs, hotels, packages and destinations. ixigo’s investors include SAIF Partners, MakeMyTrip Ltd and Micromax Informatics Ltd.
“As more travelers shift to mobile for their travel search, shopping and purchases, media websites are compelled to transition away from being a referral-only website. To remain relevant in a mobile era, where applications are replacing desktop browsers, a number of meta search brands from Kayak to Qunar to Skyscanner, and even TripAdvisor and Google have incorporated payment tools onto their platforms to minimize friction in travelers’ mobile booking experience," says Chetan Kapoor, research analyst (Asia Pacific) at travel consultancy firm Phocuswright Inc.
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