MobileApp, not Mobile Site key to success of Travel Industry

Speakers at a roundtable on “Evolving the Mobile Channel in Commerce and Travel”, organised by IAMAI and Akamai Technologies, were of the general opinion that, in the days to come, e-commerce and travel related search & transactions will be more on mobile devices than on desktop. Speaking at the roundtable, Karthik Sathuragiri, Director – Field Marketing, Asia Pacific & Japan, Akamai Technologies, said, “We are witnessing a huge transformation in how mobile sites and apps are driving user experiences. Today’s customers demand instant performance irrespective of the device or network connection they are accessing content from. This creates tremendous challenges for brands who want to ensure a seamless experience across devices while ensuring security and compliance needs are met.”

With a substantial population accessing sites through mobile and apps, industry leaders are witnessing exponential growth in terms of business. Pranav Bhasin, Head of Product – MakeMyTrip.com informed the gathering, “40% and 37% of MakeMyTrip’s travel and hotel business is through mobile. Interestingly, over 75% of mobile transactions happen through the MakeMyTrip app.”

Speakers were united in their opinion that with mobile sites replacing desktop access, similarly, mobile apps will do away with mobile sites in the near future. According to Sudarshan Gangrade, ‎Vice President, Category, Marketing, Analytics, Partnerships – Ola Cabs, “Mobile apps is the present and future for those operating in our sphere of business. The app helps to hail a cab at short notice and also provides availability in and around a given geographic location.” He added, “A year back, we had 20% of our traffic through the app. Now, with app as the primary tool to book a cab, we are clocking 85% traffic through it.”

According to IAMAI “Digital Commerce Report”, the online travel industry is pegged at over INR 50,000 crore.

While most of the travel industry is gung-ho on mobile apps, Prasanjeet Dutta Baruah, Head of Marketing – The Oberoi Group of Hotels said, “What Mobile site has done for us is to track and resolve concerns raised by customers almost real time. It has helped in positive social conversations and has become the biggest enabler for the Group. But, we do not see substantial revenue generation through mobile sites, though it is high on searches.” He went on to add, “We are not yet going to launch a MobileApp for the Group but will certainly do for our Loyalty Programme, to make it more interactive with our patrons.”

Aloke Bajpai, co-founder at ixigo, said that mobile has now become more relevant as a search medium, research medium than just a booking medium. He added that younger people are driving the mobile growth and ensuring double digit growth.

The roundtable was attended by delegates from e-commerce industry, hospitality and travel industry.