E-tourism: Regiondo Pro puts the booking of leisure activities at your fingertips!

After airlines, hotels, catering, entertainment and sports ticketing, leisure also turns to be "bookable" online. The startup Regiondo Pro offers an online activity booking software.

Launched in 2011 and with an annual growth of over 100%, the company has signed several new distribution partnerships with OTAs and other travel portals. 

	Yann Maurer, founder of Pro Regiondo credit : Pro Regiondo website

 

Regiondo Pro solution's concept

The start-up offers a simple user interface that can manage one's own booking calendar and configure a booking widget for their own website RegionDo
credit : Pro Regiondo website

Regiondo Pro is a  solution for booking business of online entertainment. The integration of customizable booking engine is within the provider's website, no computer knowledge required. With Regiondo Pro system, providers of leisure activities increase their sales by 30% a year on average. 

The start-up digitizes an inventory that until now existed only offline.  75% of reservations are made ​​online, but less than 2% of providers of recreational activities have a reservation solution on their website. Those who developed their own solution are faced with high maintenance costs and often abandon their project along the way. Beyond that, those companies do not have the opportunity to distribute their offerings on other websites because their reservation system does not communicate with other sales channels. With their API, they connect more than 200 distribution channels to their inventory. This is why the smart solution Regiondo Pro offers true added value for providers of leisure activities seeking both a solution of reservation and distribution.

Regiondo Pro solution's business model

With Regiondo Pro solution, it is possible to sell both online tours, outdoor activity such as rafting or canyoning, escape games, and also online tickets to amusement parks or zoos. This tool is essential to meet the demand of tourists who want a simple way to book their activities once they arrive in the destination. The market is estimated at nearly 6000 leisure activity providers that may use this system to manage all their bookings.

Regiondo Pro solution receives a 5% commission +0.49 cents per ticket sold on all reservations done through their system. Any offer having been posted on their system can also be sold on their distribution channel partners. 

The company has no real competitors in Europe . Some leisure distribution portals such as SmartBox or Viator exist but no competitors upstream of the value chain digitize the available inventory as Regiondo Pro solution does. Indeed, the start-up offers a simple user interface that can manage one's own booking calendar and configure a booking widget on their own website. 

In other countries, similar companies such as Rezgo in Australia or Booking Boss in Canada exist. However, their products are not suitable for the European market. The Regiondo Pro service provides a user interface, a CMS and a purchase tunnel in French, English, German, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese and is also compatible with all payment methods online used in Europe.

The Start-up aims to continue to digitize the leisure industry and to help providers to professionalize their offer through this online booking solution. However, it is a long way to go as there are thousands of activities' providers in each touristic destination. The next challenge will be to identify each of them and persuade them to join Regiondo Pro. Moreover, Regiondo Pro service may face competitors based in other countries such as Rezgo or Booking Boss that would like to conquer the European market in a near future.

By Joëlle CALAFELL, Anaïs DAFRI and Kim TUONG

Source:  Regiondo Pro met la réservation d'activités de loisirs à portée de clic!, Tourmag.com, 11th March 2016

« More than half of French tourists prepared their stays online last year »

« More than half of French tourists prepared their stays online last year »

17.2 million French prepared their stays online last year, more than half (58%) of those who travelled in 2011, according to the Opodo annual survey in 2012, directed by the Cabinet Raffour Interactive. 73% of them made a reservation directly online, or 12.5 million people on the 29.6 million who travelled last year. "(Veille Info Tourisme)

There are now new ways of distribution and new buying behavior due to the overall growth of the number of users (thanks to the higher level of equipment) and the improvement of the connection quality providing an enrichment of content (images, sound, video). The development of mobile phones and tablets also alter consumer behavior. We see the emergence of new personalized consumption trend (everyone can create his own trip).

The e-tourisme (but also m-tourisme via mobile phones) is the first sector of e-commerce in France. The market for online sales is now mature and highly competitive. Most importantly, consumers are becoming more demanding in particular on the interface and usability of the website and they quickly form an opinion on the quality of a website, and by extension of the tourism offer. Visitors make indeed quick shortcuts: An aging website means that the offer is also aging!

We know that the vast majority of French people use the internet to plan their holidays, consumers can get information on the Internet to find a hotel and ultimately call the hotel to book a room. The physical outlets suffer from an economic recession. What about tourism offices ?

But on the web, a website is not enough to promote its destination or to ensure visibility to its offer. It is about putting in place an Internet strategy based on different channels: work and orchestrate its presence and reputation in social networks (join the community phenomenon), on the main websites. The challenge is not simply to be visible on the Internet or monetize its audience. More and more online devices highlight the relationship with consumers and develop the "conversation".

Facing the takeover by users who submit opinions and comments, participate in forums, create blogs books or travel, go online photos and videos induces changes in purchasing patterns. The content generated by users (opinions, stories etc..) is now part of the decisive factors for purchase. This is why it is strategic to conduct an online presence, establish a relationship with users.

Alexis & Gabriel

Keywords: e-commerce, m-tourisme, e-tourisme, distribution, community, french tourists, internet strategy.

Source:Nouvelle technologie et e-tourisme, Retrieved February 28th, 2013, from http://www.veilleinfotourisme.fr

Virtual Loyalty

Elsa MELLAC & Laure-Emmanuelle PEYRET

The travel industry recognizes that Internet is a tool which cannot be ignored any more. All companies fight to increase traffic on their websites and to create loyalty. However, a recent survey conducted by the private company Tealeaf (http://www.e-tid.com/getdoc/731a2e48-3d74-485f-9dc6-3fbf5dd9b1d5/Tealeaf-eBookersWhitePaper2010.aspx), shows that “nine out of ten consumers booking their holiday online choose a different provider each time” and “only 12% of respondents saying they book their holiday with the same provider every time”. Consequently, it is important for the companies to choose the best strategy, both for content and functionalities on the website.

People usually choose to book on the Internet for price consideration “62 % of respondents said price was a major consideration when booking a holiday”. Consequently, it is important for the firm to conduct a competitive watch to be sure that the prices provided suit the market.

According to Graham Jones, internet psychologist, “travel websites need to build trust and confidence”. Being a well-known brand is not enough anymore to inspire trustworthiness. E-bookers are looking for a physical address, a telephone number and an email address. In addition, they want real pictures and full descriptions of the product they are thinking of buying.

British travel e-bookers “visit four different travel websites on average when researching a holiday” which shows the volatility of Internet users. We also know that the “Y generation” is used to “zapping” from one page to another more quickly as they are more at ease with internet browsing.

Internet is a fantastic world where all kinds of information are available in one or two clicks: if the website does not satisfy the user, he will just select another one. It is said that less than 1 second is needed to determine if the website matches the user’s expectations. Consequently, the travel website should provide the right information instantly, from the home page. However this action is very difficult because companies do not really know in advance who is going to visit their website. It may be interesting to create different websites adapted to each target with an appropriate distribution process.

The research is done “about two to four months in advance”: the rates should be available at least 6 months in advance to satisfy this request. Plus, “once e-bookers have decided on their holiday, they are likely to visit the website an average of three to four times before finally completing the transaction”: once the travel website has convinced the user, it is important to stay efficient, to update information, to post new pictures and comments, to prove to the final customer that the firm is here, active and efficient. Once on holiday, the consumer should be satisfied that they will not be on their own if a problem occurs.

This content is crucial to increase the competitive advantage of the company and retain clients: the website should be interactive, attractive and build experiences. It should be fun and create a relationship with the online visitor to make the difference.

Moreover, the functionalities present on the website are just as important. It may seem obvious but a website that works consistently well, with no glitches, is a site that inspires confidence for the user who is then more likely to confirm a booking. According to the report, 22% of the respondents claim that the absence of errors or problems on the site contributed to a positive customer experience.

Furthermore, the Tealeaf report highlights that an important point ebookers look for when they decide a website may be interesting for them is a sign that it is trustworthy. For this they do not wait for glitches but expect a sign indicating that the website is secure and that they can safely enter their payment details.

Another aspect that cannot be neglected by companies aiming to sell online is that consumers trust products more if others claim that it is good, that they liked it. This is a sign not only of trust but also of what the report calls “social proof”; proof that the product is acceptable to consumer peers. For this social proof to come across, the website should feature consumer reviews and comments of previous customers of the website.

Tips for an effective online travel website:

1. Complete descriptions – don’t make clients assume anything, give them all the details


2. Complementary pictures – bring clients to imagine their trip


3. Security – reassure the clients


4. Consistency – ensure that there are no technical problems


5. Enable consumer reviews and comments
   

Images from:

http://www.obesitydiseasecenter.com/files/3568414/uploaded/secure-payment(1).jpg

http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/mfl/lowres/mfln699l.jpg

http://media.photobucket.com/image/generation%20Y%20%25252B%20internet/lowett/84441416.jpg