Flight Centre Group completes full acquisition of software developer Shep

The parent of FCM travel management has previously invested in the Texas-based firm

Flight Centre Travel Group has turned an initial investment in Texas based software firm Shep into a full buyout.

The parent of global travel management company FCM said the deal, for an undisclosed sum, will support it in offer “best-in-class” traveller experiences.

Shep builds software that provides a browser-extension based communication platform for multi-national corporations.

FCM global managing director, Marcus Eklund, said: “At FCM, we strive to offer a best-in-class traveller experience at every touchpoint of the customer journey.

“The Shep software has allowed us to extend that experience on third party websites, further building on the flexibility we offer customers that we’ve become known for.”

FCM said Shep’s integration comes at a “pivotal time” as the company gears up for the global rollout of its new omni-channel platform for its multi-national client base in more than 100 countries.

Daniel Senyard, co-founder and CEO of Shep, said: “FCM shares our passion for intelligent and ground-breaking technology that addresses pain points and vastly improves the user experience.

“We are thrilled and excited to play our part in supporting their vision for the new FCM Platform.”

FCM said its new in-house platform provides “a comprehensive, globally consistent experience that delivers a superior level of choice and that all-important flexibility and ability to choose from a number of integrations to deliver on multi-national and local needs”.

The Shep browser tool will enable FCM to customise content and enhance the user experience on third party websites and online booking tools that corporate customers use, either on the FCM platform or when booking or searching outside a company’s recommended booking tools.

FCM said there are tangible benefits for customers in health, safety, sustainability and policy guidance, which the Shep product will enable FCM to integrate into these systems when the products don’t offer them themselves.

It added customers can expect greater consistency across the globe, while also delivering better control, duty of care, sustainability and communications benefits.

Other recent tech acquisitions by Flight Centre incuode booking technology specialist WhereTo, mobile chatbot platform Sam, and an equity investment in air content aggregator TPConnects.

“Our continued focus in game-changing technology provides our corporate clients with superior tools and services to help them stay ahead of the rapidly evolving corporate travel landscape. This will allow us to emerge from the pandemic in an incredibly powerful way,” said Eklund.