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Pest ANALYSIS Political  •  ATOL  protection  required  for  

holidaymakers  •  Association  of  British  Travel  Agents  

(ABTA)  •  Package  Travel,  Package  Holidays  and  

Package  Tours  Regulations  1992  

Economical  •  Working  in  multiple  currencies  with  foreign  operators  

•  European  double-­‐dip  recession  •  Tourism  is  already  a  dominant  industry  in  Europe  

Social  •  More  people  than  ever  travel  

internationally.    •  Concern  over  rights  when  booking  

holidays  (cancellations,  delays,  etc....)    •  Increase  team  building  trips  to  abroad  

by  companies,  schools  and  colleges.  •  Cheaper  holidays  means  more  group  

trips.  

Technological  •  Web  is  the  primary  access  channel  •  Social  networks  important  for  interpersonal  communication  

•  Security  gateway  for  payments  •  Booking  application  for  mobiles/iPads  and  Android  devices.  

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Swot ANALYSIS Strengths  •  Research  shows  this  is  a  product  

that  hasn’t  been  released  •  People  are  used  online  channels,  

online  booking,  online  banking  so  should  not  Qind  this  concept  difQicult  to  accept/adopt.  

Weaknesses  /  Challenges  •  Could  be  replicated  by  the  larger  agencies  •  Technical  complications  •  Individual  payment  mechanics  and  tracking  •  Holiday  bookings  are  dependent  on  the  timing  

-­‐  delayed  individual  payments  and  cancellations  could  cause  problems  

•  Integrating  with  travel  companies  to  hold  bookings  without  a  deposit  -­‐  different  companies  will  have  different  periods  available    

Opportunities  •  Be  the  Qirst  to  the  market  with  a  simple  group  

payment  system  that  can  develop  in  the  future  •  Could  develop  the  system  then  sell  it/lease  it  

to  the  big  travel  companies  (if  patented)    •  The  idea  can  be  developed  to  become  Group  

booking  forum  and  trips  reviews  –  industry  experts  in  group  booking  over  time  

Threats  •  Lots  of  stag/hen  activity  companies  

offering  group  packages  •  Replication  •  Any  threat  to  online  safety/trust  will  

affect  this  type  of  product  

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Persona research Mickey,  32  Hobby  group  organiser  •  Single  and  ren8ng,  well  travelled  so  he  understands  how  to  

budget  and  plan  trips.  •  Works  at  his  local  rock-­‐climbing  centre,  runs  local  events  and  

now  taking  it  a  step  further.  •  Group  gathered  from  people  at  the  climbing  centre  (word  of  

mouth  and  flyers),  so  wide  range  of  ages,  incomes,  and  backgrounds  

•  No  one  in  the  group  knows  every  other  person,  not  even  Mickey.  

•  Likes  having  the  responsibility  but  aware  of  the  risks,  par8cularly  with  money  involved.  

•  Wants  to  find  something  that  will  make  his  job  easier,  give  him  a  constant  overview  of  the  planning,  and  forestall  any  financial  complica;ons  or  liabili;es.    

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Persona research

•  Single  and  living  with  parents  •  Laura  has  just  finished  her  A-­‐Levels  and  is  looking  to  go  away  

with  a  group  of  8  friends  to  the  Greek  Islands  in  celebra8on  •  She  has  never  travelled  without  her  family  and  is  nervous  to  

book  her  first  budget  holiday.  •  She  needs  to  be  able  to  see  who  has  paid,  but  more  importantly  

her  parents  need  to  be  able  to  pay  on  her  behalf,  see  the  transac8on  is  safe  and  have  confirma8on  of  booking  from  the  resort  directly  to  ensure  peace  of  mind.  

•  The  process  needs  to  be  easy,  safe  and  accountable  in  case  her  parents  need  to  check  the  transac8on  status  or  hotel  details  in  an  emergency.  

•  She  needs  a  simple  and  reassuringly  safe  environment  for  her  and  her  friend  to  book  their  party  holiday  with  a  number  of  budget  op;ons.  

Laura,  18  A-­‐Level  finisher/  Holiday  Maker  

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Persona research Helen,  43  Helen  –  Geography  Department  Head  /  School  Trip  Liaison  

•  Married  with  2  teenage  children  •  Helen  is  responsible  for  booking  her  Geography  class  on  a  school  trip  

to  Barcelona.    •  She  has  found  the  des8na8on  online  but  needs  to  pool  all  the  

parents  money  in  together  to  pay  for  the  booking.  •  She  needs  a  private  account  that  parents  can  log  on  to  and  pay  their  

final  amount  quickly  and  safely  with  a  specific  login.  •  There  needs  to  be  an  area  where  parents  can  see  what  they  are  

paying  for  (a  I8nerary  download  or  descrip8on)  and  who  has  paid  what.  

•  She  needs  a  system  that  tracks  receipts  of  payment  and  alerts  her  of  the  outstanding  amounts  that  need  to  be  paid  before  her  deadlines  so  she  can  chase  the  parents  responsible.  

•  She  is  stressed  about  the  admin  involved  and  ;me  poor  so  needs  an  easy  system  that  is  proved  to  be  safe  for  the  parents  to  use.  

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Persona research ‘Chub’,  27  Stag  night  organiser  

•  Single  and  ren8ng,  works  at  Foxtons  so  some  understanding  of  research  and  handling  money,  but  very  unorganised  outside  of  work.  

•  Wants  to  put  on  a  fantas8c  stag  do  for  his  best  friend  from  school,  so  heavy  personal  investment  in  making  the  en8re  experience  “the  best”  for  everyone  involved.  

•  Busy  job,  plus  he’s  unsure  of  his  organisa8onal  and  financial  skills.  He  wants  to  work  out  the  exci8ng  ac8vi8es  and  not  waste  8me  on  the  admin.  

•  Knows  some  of  the  people  coming  very  well,  and  some  not  well  at  all  -­‐  but  they’re  all  connected,  and  in  similar  situa8ons.  

•  Looking  for  something  that  will  “just  work”  with  the  minimum  input  from  him,  and  allow  everyone  to  focus  on  the  most  important  thing:  having  a  good  ;me.      

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Sales PLAN The Present Market - Travel Booking Services Category - Comparison

The  Queries  for  Travel  Booking  Services  grew  by  12%  in  Q2  2013  and  it  drops  aaer  September/October  in  UK  Market.      

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The Present Market - Travel Insurance Category - Comparison

The  Queries  grew  by    19%  in  Q2  2013  and  is  expected  to  follow  the  same  trend  and  expected  to  drops  from  September  in  UK  Market.  

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The Present Market - Air Travel Category - Comparison

The  Queries  grew  by    10%  in  Q2  2013  and  is  expected  to  drop  off  from  October  in  UK  Market.  

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Global Online Travel Sales

The  Europe  market  consists  of  main  countries  such  as  Spain,  France,  Italy,  UK,  Germany  and  Scandinavian  countries.  UK  has  46%  share  in  2010  which  is  approximately  $54  billion  and  tends  to  

grow  steadily  till  2016.    

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Customer Touch Points

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Lead Generation Focus Ø  PPC  

Ø  SEO  Ø  Social  media  Ø  Blogs  -­‐  Destination  sites,  Reviews  &  Testimonials  Ø  YouTube  Channel  Ø  Ad  Exchange  Ø  Press  Releases  Ø  Email  Newsletters  Ø  SMS/Texting    Ø  OfQline  -­‐  Print  Media  &  Billboards  etc.  

 

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Additional Services to Attract

We  can  consider  to  offer  a  range  of  additional  products  including:      Ø  car  rental  Ø  insurance    Ø destination  activities  such  as  event  tickets  &  attractions.  Ø  to  improvise  on  the  holistic  experience  of  the  customers.      

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Benchmarking -Top 10 Websites For Holiday Bookings in UK (2011)

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PHASE COSTS

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FULL COSTS / BUDGET

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Risks/Hazards 1.  Price  -­‐  The  search  for  lower  prices  was  a  constant  theme,  underlining  the  need  for  the  best  presentation  of  all  pricing  options.  The  focus  should  also  to  avoid  any  disparities  between  advertised  prices  and  those  found  on  the  sites  themselves.  2.  Site  functionality  -­‐  Access  to  time  saving  functionality  was  an  important  consideration,  whether  this  be  features  such  as  records  of  saved  searches  or  previous  bookings.  3.  On-­‐site  search  -­‐  Site  search  needs  to  be  able  to  cope  with  a  broad  range  of  uses,  from  the  Qirst  time  visitor  researching  destinations  through  to  a  converting  buyer  looking  for  speciQic  deals.  Search  functionality  needs  to  be  presented  accordingly.  4.  Product  description  -­‐  Information  about  travel  products,  including  text,  photos,  videos  and  reviews,  is  vital  in  the  purchase  process  and  so  ensuring  it  is  adequate  and  well  displayed  is  vital  to  retail  success.  5.  Additional  charges  -­‐  Whilst  EU  law  dictates  that  prices  must  now  be  displayed  with  all  additional  costs  included,  the  presentation  of  these  costs  is  still  a  consideration  for  many  consumers  and  optional  extra  charges  should  be  set  in  line  with  competitors.  

6.  Navigation  -­‐  Complaints  around  navigation  focused  on  a  lack  of  basic  sorting  and  Qiltering  functionality,  enabling  consumers  to  home  in  on  the  holiday  of  their  preference  quickly  and  easily.  7.  Discounts/sales  -­‐  In  this  economic  climate  consumers  are  more  focused  than  ever  on  securing  the  best  price  for  a  holiday.  Last  minute  offers  or  dedicated  bargain  sections  are  sought  by  buyers,  along  with  loyalty  rewards  for  regular  customers.  8.  Errors  and  bugs  -­‐  Site  errors  not  only  cause  short  term  frustration,  they  can  permanently  damage  a  site's  reputation  with  buyers.  Simple  issues  such  as  browser  compatibility  can  completely  exclude  some  buyers  from  a  site.  9.  Speed  -­‐  The  slow  loading  of  pages,  and  particularly  of  search  results,  is  a  major  irritant  for  travel  buyers.  Given  that  most  buyers  will  be  looking  at  multiple  sites,  a  slow  loading  page  can  be  a  signiQicant  disincentive  to  purchase.  10.  Availability  -­‐  Users  become  frustrated  having  invested  the  time  into  searching  for  products  only  to  Qind  that  these  are  not  available  to  purchase.  Sites  need  to  ensure  that  unavailable  products  are  Qlagged  as  such  at  an  early  stage.  

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Season FY1

Channel v Month > January February March April May June July August September October November December

Website Launchrock page is replaced with the MVP site. Blog launches

Summer trips promo Spring clean for summer promo

Last-minute breaks promo

Cheap September deals promo

Site stays open for FY2 bookings, but no acquisition activity is going on, just retention.

Emails & social channels switch to sharing and focusing on

trip content - UGC, editorial and curated content.

We want to stay in mind for the audience but without running any campaigns. All this time is spent on planning

FY2.

Email Launchrock list email Weather focused email Plan your summer email

Spring clean for summer email Exams email Last-minute breaks

email UGC focused email

Cheap September deals email

Social Media

Channels launched - initially Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Aspirational content population.

Initial tranche of UGC

Heavy UGC, focus on price for September getaways

PPC First campaign live - focus on relevant search via AdWords and Bing Ads

Iterate Iterate Iterate & insights

Second campaign live (30%) Iterate Third campaign live

(15%)

Affiliate First round of deals complete First round of deals launch

Last-minute getaway deals complete

Last-minute getaway deals launches

Cheap September planning

Cheap September deals launches

Partner sites First round of deals complete e.g. NUS, Student Beans

First round of deals complete Cheap September

deals launches

Experiential Campus events Campus events, "Stay Behind" club nights

Outdoor 70% budget campaign 30% budget campaign

PR/press "Holiday horror stories" campaign goes live "Trip tips" campaign

goes live

Full  FY1  marketing  schedule  details    

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Season FY2

Channel v Month > January February March April May June July August September October November December

Website Summer trips promo Spring clean for summer promo

Last-minute breaks promo

Cheap September deals promo Ski holidays promo Christmas

promo

23rd Dec onwards: January breaks email

Email Launchrock list email Weather focused email Plan your summer email

Spring clean for summer email Exams email Last-minute breaks

email Cheap September deals email Ski breaks email Winter is

coming email

Christmas getaways email

January breaks email

Social Media Channels launched. Aspirational content population

"Sun" UGC sharing

Heavy UGC, focus on price for September getaways

PPC Sun campaign live Iterate Iterate Iterate & insights

Last minute campaign live Iterate Ski campaign

live Iterate Iterate Iterate & insights

Affiliate Sun deals complete First round of deals launch Last-minute getaway deals complete

Last-minute getaway deals launches

Cheap September planning

Cheap September deals launches

Ski breaks planning

Ski break deals launches

Partner sites Sun deals complete First round of deals complete

Last-minute getaway deals complete

Last-minute getaway deals launches

Cheap September planning

Cheap September deals launches

Ski breaks planning

Ski break deals launches

Experiential Campus events Campus events, "Stay Behind" club nights

Freshers events, "book skiing with your loan", ski club deals

Outdoor Sun campaign live Last-minute sun campaign Ski campaign

launches

PR/press "sun" campaign "snow" campaign

Full  FY2  marketing  schedule  details