Holiday Taxis trials new technology to help trade partners grow ancillary revenue

Holiday Taxis trials new technology to help trade partners grow ancillary revenue

Transfers specialist Holiday Taxis is trialing new technology to allow trade partners to offer their customers the option of booking while they are travelling. Continue reading

Transfers specialist Holiday Taxis is trialing new technology to allow trade partners to offer their customers the option of booking while they are travelling.

As well as efforts to shorten the booking window the supplier is also developing a home to airport service, a new transfer-only booking widget and a customer text messaging service for partners.

Andy Baker, UK sales director, said: “A lot of customers want transfers which are pre-bookable as customers are in the departure lounge.

“We are developing the technology with some partners overseas for them to be able to receive bookings that close to departure.”

Baker said airlines are also keen to provide home to airport transfers as well as fixed-rate hotel to airport services.

He said Holiday Taxis is also working on developing tools to optimise their add-on transfer-only bookings following the sale of a flight and/or hotel booking.

An in-email widget, currently in tests, will allow partners to offer transfers in confirmation emails and other follow-up correspondence which links straight into their booking portals.

“Once we are happy that’s working really well we will start to roll that out to everyone,” Baker said. “We want our partners to be making more selling ancillaries.”

Baker said retailers often struggle to complete a transfer sale at the point of the initial holiday booking but are more likely to convert them close to departure if they have the booking technology.

“Agents have to go through a lengthy booking process over the phone, this way it makes it easier for them to book,” Baker added.

Another development Holiday Taxis is working on is integrating text messaging for consumers to improve communications with clients while they are travelling.

Texts will improve the service which currently relies on consumers being emailed vouchers, said Baker.

Holiday Taxis reported booking volumes have been strong in its largest market, the UK, so far this year although this has been surpassed by growth levels seen in overseas markets.

New markets like Canada, India, Singapore, South Africa and Australia are starting to provide increased volumes, Baker said.

Some European markets are seeing triple digit growth on a small base and Ireland is up 100%.

In 2014 Holiday Taxis launched Conxxe to take advantage of what it called a ‘land grab’ taking place in ground transportation worldwide.