http://www.travolution.co.ukThe latest information from Travolution6011419915http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/06/01/2595/finding-the-new-model-army.htmlCCPMon, 01 Jun 2009 07:43:00 +01:00 Some say the best innovation begins with the business structure itself. Martin Cowen examines how companies can look at new models to gain competitive advantage. Writers of a certain age still reserve a soft spot for the offline world – that doesn’t mean we go into high-street travel agents to pick up a brochure, but there’s still a place for making notes in a book. With a pen. IBM emerged as an abbreviation for ‘innovative business models’ during the preparatory scrawls for this piece. The acronym also emerged top of natural search when I gave Google a go, as the accepted name for International Business Machines Corporation. No surprise that the $100 billion-plus IT-based business has its site so well optimised. This April, IBM’s Global Business Services unit released a white paper – Paths to Success – which identified three types of business model innovation across sectors: industry models, revenue models and enterprise models (see box http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/06/01/2593/the-next-stage-of-the-journey.htmlCCPMon, 01 Jun 2009 07:22:00 +01:00 Travel has long been criticised for its ‘me too’ culture on website functionality, but with new techniques the industry now has a chance to dramatically improve the customer experience. Linda Fox finds out more. A trawl of web definitions for ‘innovation’, describe it as a new device or process brought into play after research and testing. It doesn’t have to be a revolutionary new tool or redesign to be innovative. In fact, another definition describes it as something that ‘lowers the cost and, or increases the benefits of a task’. It’s not about integrating new functionality such as maps, videos and reviews and expecting conversion to go through the roof, and this is where the travel industry has come up against some major criticism for poor usability, design and conversion but most crucially, lack of customer focus. At the Travolution Summit in April, the travel industry came under scrutiny from start-ups and other observers with one deleghttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/06/01/2592/now-is-the-time-to-look-ahead.htmlCCPMon, 01 Jun 2009 07:16:00 +01:00 Organisations must innovate or risk becoming middle of the road followers, says David Bicknell as he examines the role of technology as a driver for innovation. The easy way out in today’s challenging economic marketplace – a market that has already seen PricewaterhouseCoopers dismiss the idea of a short-term recession in the travel industry and warn agents and operators to prepare for three to five years of reduced activity – would be to adopt a ‘steady as you go’ strategy, milk your current revenue streams, minimise business expenditure and sit tight waiting for better times. And middle of the pack mediocrity! For those wanting to get ahead the message is much simpler: innovate. Some of the biggest names in technology – for example, Google, Cisco, and Sun Microsystems – were all were born in recessionary times. Indeed, as Sami Mahroum, research director of Britain’s National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts and a Visiting Readerhttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/05/27/2573/systems-in-sync-for-success-the-hotel-sector-perspective.htmlCCPWed, 27 May 2009 12:36:00 +01:00 Kimpton Hotels vice-president for technology and CIO Kris Singleton says integrating hotel systems to be able to personalise the overall experience for the guest is one of the innovation measures the group continues to make. The organisation, which is adopting SuiteLinq room technology through a close relationship with Microsoft, believes there are key opportunities that can come from linking various hotel systems – the property management system (PMS), online reservations, global distribution system (GDS), point of sale (PoS) and customer relationship management (CRM) system – to help make the guest’s stay more special. Singleton, who joined Kimpton in February 2008 after previous positions with MGM Mirage where she was vice-president of business solutions, and Hallmark Cards, says her goal after arriving was to speak to vendors such as Microsoft who she’d http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/05/27/2572/does-outsourcing-help-or-hinder-business-strategy.htmlCCPWed, 27 May 2009 12:31:00 +01:00 Outsourcing company Sitel is predicting one third of travel company call centres will be outsourced by the first quarter of the next financial year. The forecast comes as the company experiences increased demand from travel businesses looking at ways to reduce operating costs while maintaining or clawing back call booking volumes during the current recession. Sitel business development director for the travel sector Ray McDiarmid says many traditional travel companies have high fixed costs tied up in owned call centres, and in many cases have yet to realise the benefits of outsourcing. Its current clients include Iberia, Air Berlin, Continental Airlines, Travelocity, Expedia and Park Resorts. He says: “There is an unprecedented level of urgency in outsourcing now, and a lot of businesses are under pressure to reduce costs. Travel companies are carrying excess in-house cost and it is eroding their profitability.”http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/02/11/2211/top-tips-to-reach-consumers-in-social-networks.htmlCCPWed, 11 Feb 2009 11:24:00 -00:00 Fourth of four Travolution-hosted seminars at the Travel Technology Show 2009 Presented by Neil Maclean of SmallMediaLarge Two-Way Conversation – Top Tips to Reach Consumers in Social Networks #1 - Use low cost tools Register - or use an existing - keyword-rich domain name, buy low-cost hosting, install WordPress open source software and a few key plugins, then tailor a template to suit your brand. Agree guidelines, then post short, relevant conversational items, link to other people, leave comments on other blogs. #2 – Measure & Monitor Set up Google Alerts, create active listening process which monitors relevant blogs, microblogs, images and videos. Measure everything you can in social media and be prepared to change course and adapt to what yourhttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/02/11/2210/top-tips-to-build-a-web-based-travel-business.htmlCCPWed, 11 Feb 2009 11:17:00 -00:00 Third of four Travolution-hosted seminars at the Travel Technology Show 2009 Presented by Hugh Burge of Howzat Media and Jerome Touze of WAYN.com Start-Up to Grown-Up – Top Tips to Build a Web-Based Travel Business #1 – Product Passion A start-up needs the oxygen of publicity and eyeballs. The path to recognition, word of mouth and visibility is a well trodden one. Product passion and a desire to solve a problem better is a fundamental success factor in a start up. Without product passion you are dead in the water. Word of mouth, buzz and consumer loyalty are your greatest chance of growth - the only way to win these is with an unbridled, energetic product passion. #2- The Team Investors are often cliched in their mantra 'it's all about the team'.&nbsphttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/02/11/2208/top-tips-to-improve-website-user-experience.htmlCCPWed, 11 Feb 2009 09:03:00 -00:00 Second of four Travolution-hosted seminars at the Travel Technology Show 2009 . Presented by Peter Ballard of Foolproof. Better Browsing - Top Tips to Improve Website User Experience #1 - Availability Many shoppers are flexible on both their dates and destination, yet most tools require users to be specific on both. Providers need to build tools that allow ‘fuzzy’ searches on both dates and locations, if they are to engage users in the early stages of shopping. #2 - Price How price and value is communicated to shoppers. Sites like Virgin Atlantic and Skyscanner are leading the way in showing shoppers ranges of prices over various dates, so that users can identify cheaper times to travel. If a provider can overlay choices of destination as well as price,http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/02/11/2207/top-tips-to-improve-website-performance.htmlCCPWed, 11 Feb 2009 08:49:00 -00:00 First of four Travolution-hosted seminars at the Travel Technology Show 2009 . Presented by David Flower of Gomez Efficient Engine Room - Top Tips to Improve Website Performance #1 - Customer Accessibility Research your target markets. What countries/social groups/age categories are you targeting? How do they access your web site? Are they on fast broadband or slow dial up? Are they connecting by mobile or PC? What browsers are they using? Can your web site perform well enough for your target market? #2 - Baseline & Benchmark Baseline your web site so you understand how your site performs. Don’t waste valuable investments before you know the impact. What is your performance across the range of ways customers can access you? Yohttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2009/02/06/2186/can-cruise-follow-other-sectors-with-a-drive-to-online.htmlCCPFri, 06 Feb 2009 10:15:00 -00:00 It may come as a surprise that one of the sectors of the travel industry with the most potential to grow has to a large extent let the online revolution pass it by. The cruising boom in recent years has led to an increased focus by cruiselines on traditional travel agency distribution channels, rather than creating all-singing all-dancing websites. Only recently David Dingle, chief executive of the UK’s largest cruise company Carnival UK, admitted as much, telling senior executives there was a need for the sector to improve online distribute strategies. To put this into context, just 3% of Carnival UK’s bookings for its P&O Cruises, Princess Cruises, Ocean Village and Cunard Line brands are made by consumers booking cruises direct on their websites. In comparison, 27% of all Thomas Cook’s bookings - “departed passengers” rather than sales - are made online. But with 1.5 million British holidaymakers taking a cruise last year, and a further 39 ships onhttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2008/11/28/1978/virgin-v-jam-day.htmlCCPFri, 28 Nov 2008 12:17:00 -00:00 Virgin Atlantic held a one-day workshop on Friday 28 November 2008 for customers, web developers and social media experts to come together to share their insights and brainstorm news to improve the travel experience. On this page you will find summaries from around the web, the Twitter Feed and photographs from the event. Articles: * Travolution - Virgin Atlantic plots social media strategy * Travolution - V-Jam move is interesting, but what will they do with it? * Trailbeater - Virgin Atlantic V-Jam Event * http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2008/11/03/1880/two-minute-showcase-google-insights-for-search.htmlCCPMon, 03 Nov 2008 09:09:00 -00:00 Google Insights for Search replaced the Google Trends service to monitor keyword data across the Google search engine. Simon Morrison, from the product communications team at Google UK, runs through the system using a number of travel-related search terms and some others you might not expect.   http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2008/10/31/1879/case-study-sunshine.co.uk-affiliate-future.htmlCCPFri, 31 Oct 2008 11:03:00 -00:00 Background and objectives Sunshine.co.uk began life in May 2007, entering the densely populated and fiercely competitive budget holiday market with a fresh proposition. The agency wanted to harness the power of affiliate marketing to: Rapidly establish itself as serious player in the holiday market Communicate its market position as a supplier of beach breaks with a focus on value and flexibility, powered by dynamic packaging. The programme with Affiliate Future had the following aims: To establish and build brand awareness of sunshine.co.uk To attract and secure 400 business-generating affiliates within six months of launch To achieve 10,000 unique visitors in the first month of launch To establish and grow consumer confidence in sunshine.co.uk To generate 10 sales per day withhttp://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2008/10/24/1852/case-study-redeye-and-haven-holidays.htmlCCPFri, 24 Oct 2008 11:31:00 +01:00 Brief and objectives With email campaign conversion rates plateauing, holiday company Haven, part of the Bourne Leisure Group, wanted a new and exciting campaign strategy that would bring the Haven holiday experience to life for potential holidaymakers.  It therefore approached online marketing consultancy RedEye with a brief to develop an innovative email campaign which would drive higher levels of online bookings through increased conversion rates. Not only important for the bottom line, this was also to be part of the company’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint by maximising Web bookings.  Timing-wise, the campaign needed to go out before Easter, in order to capitalise on one of the busiest times for holiday bookings. Strategy behind the work RedEye’s strategy was to use an http://www.travolution.co.uk/Articles/2008/10/16/1794/case-study-exposure4-and-kuoni.htmlCCPThu, 16 Oct 2008 10:09:00 +01:00   Summary In 2006, leading longhaul specialist Kuoni Travel, with over 100 years of experience in tailor making holidays, was visionary in looking to maximize from the online video revolution and to promote their portfolio of inspirational, hand-picked holidays. Online bookings were soaring and even more so when supported with video online – the latest must-have in travel promotion. Kuoni were keen to be one of the leaders in online conversions whilst giving their customers high quality, engaging videos and the real look before you book experience and teamed up with Exposure4 to take on the task. Goals and Challenges Kuoni’s goal was to achieve over 500 quality videos of their top hotels and destinations around the world in as short a time span as possible. The ultimate g