TTE 2015: Greater onus being placed on offline conversions, says Digital Trip

TTE 2015: Greater onus being placed on offline conversions, says Digital Trip

More travel clients are looking to prioritise offline conversions through their technology, according to systems developer Digital Trip.

More travel clients are looking to prioritise offline conversions through their technology, according to systems developer Digital Trip.

The firm has started to offer a ‘click to call’ button that dials a pre-set number on its mobile app solution for customers, instead of a booking button.

It says it is also seeing customers start to take online bookability off their websites or concentrate their efforts in driving calls to their call centres or visits to their stores.

Andy Speight, managing director of Digital Trip, said that Go Travel, an agent in Kent and member of the Advantage consortium, has stopped offering online booking.

He said it now focuses on driving leads to its four stores and over the phone, by using unique content distributed online on channels like Facebook.

Speight said that another Digital Trip customer, Worldwide Flights based in Wembley, has stopped pushing online bookings. It operates two sites, one that offers online booking and one that does not. Speight said all marketing effort is going into the site pushing offline conversion.

Speight said in order to help its customers market their speciality and expertise, rather than price comparison, Digital Trip has invested in its own content team of freelance writers.

It also has its own in-house marketing team to support its customers, which tend to be small to medium sized businesses with limited resources.

“We have to show our customers how they can get more bang for their buck. Google can play a part but it does not need to play a major part of it.

“You can spend £20,000 on a website but that is just the starting point. We talk to clients about how best to market themselves. We have blogs and social linking.

“Social is now the number one way to market without a shadow of a doubt, but you cannot be on there just pushing cheap holidays.

“We also have video and review systems. Unique content is what it’s all about.”

In January, Digital Trip launched a rebuilt tour operating platform having seen increased demand from small to medium sized tour operators.

Speight said this reflect a shifting dynamic in the travel industry. “We do not believe travel agents and tour operators are a million miles apart these days,” he said.

Recent client wins for Digital Trip include Worldchoice Ireland which has 62 members, for which it’s building a portal.

It has also signed a first client for its new cruise platform which it launched last month on the back of a deal with Revelex.

Now Lets Travel is a travel agency based in the north east and part of leading Scottish agency chain Barrhead Travel.