Increase Direct Business and Brand Awareness with Next Generation Interactive Travel Shopping.
Merging local knowledge, publishing, advertising and bookings in a seamless conversation
1. Increase Direct Business and Brand Awareness knowledge engineering Next Generation Travel Shopping Merging local knowledge, publishing, advertising and bookings in a seamless conversation
2. A Unique Platform for Destination Marketing Advertising is the Driving Force for Direct Travel Marketing and Branding Bookings is the Call to Action AXSES has merged advertising and bookings along with local knowledge into a single powerful marketing solution with a sophisticated and simple interface for managing advertising and bookings in multiple channels across multiple platforms knowledge engineering
3. Knowledge engineering In 2006 major brands direct online was 81.4% - Small hotels less that 5% direct Online sales are increasing Direct sales have have greatest growth potential In this environment hotels do not have to rely on high cost distribution Many axses clients get the majority of their business Direct Internet is about being direct! It is the most efficient marketing and distribution medium ever made for Direct Business
4. Knowledge engineering Brand Integrity Maintaining the key elements of the brand The Medium & the Message Differentiation - Personality Ownership Promise & Expectation Relationship - Loyalty Sustainability
5. Knowledge engineering Brand Integrity The Medium – Choice of channel does reflect on the Brand. It is not always good to be seen as Expedia or as Kayak etc. In many cases a different drum attracts travelers to the small hotels. They are looking for a personal touch. No matter how tight the Integration is, travelers are aware. They will spot tell tale design and URLs, they will know who they buy from. The Message – The message is much more than content. It is also about form and function. You choose to buy at store X for many reasons but if there are no price tags and you have to go to the counter to get a price- would you bother? Creating a message that is not fully integrated with the product is similarly dissonant. The shopping experience should be fully fluid.
6. Knowledge engineering Brand Integrity Promise & Expectation – A Brand is a promise. It can say we are a small family hotel, we are local, we are friendly, we are different, we care. What is the Brand of Expedia? Their mission statement says: “We are on a mission to be the largest and most profitable reseller of travel in the world”. Differentiation & Personality - Differentiation and personality are conveyed by the suppliers’ website, by its individual tastes, its use of colour, its layout and its processes. OTA’s like Expedia do not create a brand personality for its suppliers. Expedia is the brand , and the products is a commodity. In the end, no matter what, the traveler is buying from Expedia.
7. Knowledge engineering Brand Integrity Relationship – Travelers build a relationship with their suppliers. If you have bought from Expedia and you got what you wanted, you will most likely go there again to check out other options (properties, products, destinations). Creating the Expedia relationship diminishes the hotel brand and can result in loss of repeat business Loyalty – Expedia is building its own loyalty program. Much like the airlines. Small hotels can and should reward repeat clients and clients that refer others to them. Loyalty programmes work. The visitor’s loyalty should be to the hotel or the DMP but definitely not to Expedia. AXSES has loyalty solutions for the hotel brand. Expedia does not! We are aware of several hotels where appropriate use of branding and loyalty programmes has resulted in 80-90% of business being repeat business.
8. Knowledge engineering Brand Integrity Ownership – With arcRes, the database belongs to the supplier. This database is unique in that it captures leads as well as committed shoppers. arcRes database marketing allows hotels to market directly to their leads and their guests. Expedia has its own marketing tools, aimed at promoting its own Brand. Sustainability – if you don’t own the brand and don’t have the relationship and loyalty, your business will not be sustainable. Brand Integrity is too important to contract out OTA do not provide seamless shopping and branding OTA build their brads, their loyalty and sustainability
9. Knowledge engineering Travelers visit 6 or more travel portals and several supplier sites Start with Travel Guides/Destination sites looking for information and direct links to suppliers websites finding options Online travel shopping is tedious. Travelers may use channels not by choice but for expedience!. Often they see OTA as offering the “ Best Price in the Market ” By contract supplier websites are hard to find, hard to navigate, in-consistent and do not offer the best value How people buy
10. Knowledge engineering both destination and supplier branding Many travelers prefer to buy direct – particularly Dominica travelers (personal, service, attention) They have to be persuaded “ brand promise ” They want value Travelers look for best value Strategic priority: Build interest & desire – “Branding” t Suppliers are embracing the OTAs that have become dominant in travelers minds as being the “best place to shop”. But suppliers loose brand control and brand integrity in doing so .
11. Knowledge engineering Travelers look for best value Brand Integrity - lost in the channel Traditional shopping sites/booking engines do not build your brand Expedia: “mission to become the largest and most profitable Seller of travel in the world” http://investors. expediainc .com/ Closed loop – no product personality Medium & Message Promise & Expectation Differentiation - Personality Relationship - Loyalty Ownership – Sustainability No seamless experience
12. Knowledge engineering Destination Marketing Context Local Knowledge - Brand Promotion/ Advertising STICKINESS direct links and product promotion comparison charts shopping lists loyalty programs best price guarantee travelers resources travelers website local knowledge 3 rd party reviews social media Travelers want to see supplier sites Direct links at all stages of the buy cycle Product Promotion Build a reason to return Facilitate shopping
13. . Knowledge engineering AXSES Next Generation Shopping Platform - Changing the options! Destinations can now build hybrid marketing channels using AXSES merged technology The new shopping platform focus is on building the brand, offering expert systems, local knowledge, features and specials and “best price guarantee” in a fluid open conversation Travelers can see the product, read reviews, visit suppliers websites, get instant quotes, save itineraries and buy at anytime, all right where they are
14. . Knowledge engineering Searching - Shopping – Product Branding: Merge “ Each element in the search- ads -shop-buy cycle is undergoing a period of intense innovation, making each increasingly significant, yet interdependent. In fact, searching, shopping and buying – once distinct terms describing different behaviors – are blurring at a furious pace”. The perfect storm - Philip C. Wolf, President and CEO, PhoCusWright Inc. AXSES technology is leading edge!. We have integrated product branding with all phases of the shopping cycle into a seamless supplier focused experience direct sales – facilitating distribution Interactive advertising works! Travelers stay longer and use all options
15. Knowledge engineering Travelers want to go to supplier websites - no matter where they are Advertising is the most significant revenue opportunity Advertising – Strategic revenue opportunity $$ Revenue # Clicks in all channels Even in our booking channels , given the option to go direct travelers do so.. # Clicks in Bookings Channel bookings Advertising 54% hosting misc google production Clicks 89% Go to website 81% Go to website
16. Knowledge engineering Destination Marketing is “Branding First” Bookings follow! Advertising builds the Brand 50 % of ads are now smart. 56% of clicks are Bookable Advertising provides the direct links – product exposure
17. Knowledge engineering We provide both Advertising and Bookings highly tuned advertising platform integrated with e-commerce shopping/marketing Advertising manager + e-commerce suites = bookable-ads TM Caribbean resort based; supplier rules, supplier terms, supplier inventory options, payment options, supplier brand, supplier centered
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19. Knowledge engineering Tailored Descriptions Photos, links add with arcRes Tool Smart Ads Marketing - Themes Barbados family vacation Published (SEO) and tailored to te occasion
20. Knowledge engineering Smart Ads Marketing - Specials Barbados vacation specials eSpecials – quotes, bookable RSS push Specials to 1000’s of site call to action The hotel site
22. Knowledge engineering Smart Ads Marketing – by name Beach View Hotel Barbados Hotel site rank boosted by our links & marketing
23. Knowledge engineering Bookings Conversion report Typical small hotel 16.4% of all lookers booked people who got at least a quote 59.5% of success booked successfully completed the process 0% of invoices got to the invoice stage 5.7% of quotes Clicks ## June to Aug. 23 2009 $ 88 million bds direct booking requests to Barbados 2008: arcRes network
24. Knowledge engineering Bookings Conversion report: Small hotel June to Aug. 23 2009 In the first 7 days of Sept. They have 8 bookings totaling US$ 5534 and covering 51 nights
25. . Knowledge engineering Integrated marketing that works Bookable-Ads TM Bookable-Banners Bookable-Maps Bookable-Lists Bookable-Specials Bookable-Themes Bookable-Activities Booking-Partners
26. . Knowledge engineering arcAds management and reporting Tracks every click on every ad on every ad spot Place any type of ad anywhere with a simple online ads manager Detailed Reports and analysis Multiple Ad types
27. . Knowledge engineering Tracks every click -on every page - on every ad spot
28. . Knowledge engineering Tracks every click on every ad on every ad spot 7995 clicks CPC $0.15bds Avg. cost $2.5 us
29. . Knowledge engineering Travelers have a keen interest in Bookable-ads using all of the ad-options (rates etc) to help make the right choice Bookable-maps have increased AD use by 300% in many cases (3 clicks on rooms, rates, quotes, photos, and compare, for every click to the website)
30. . Knowledge engineering arcRes and ArcAds Managing multiple sites and applications on several platforms e-commerce platform Website Booking Engine for hotels, villas, cars, activities, channel management, GDS, marketing tools, e-commerce management
31. Knowledge engineering . Easy to use supplier tools All inventory options All payment options All Guarantee options Full control of content Research Newsletter Client Management Database Marketing Flexible Family plan & ages Flexible rules & policies Groups – Specials – Packages Themes Management Co-Marketing (Partners Program) Distribution | GDS | Affiliates FaceBook
32. Knowledge engineering . Easy to use marketing/management tools Suzanne at Ocean Bliss "arcRes is so easy to manage. It is a very efficient site. Most of my bookings come from arcRes. The support that I get is awesome. If I have a problem,I get a response right away. It is very good. I love it!“ Rates management Reservations management Database marketing Client management Channels management Themes Packages Specials Partners
33. Knowledge engineering arcRes for Tourism Website Database of lookers and bookers Rates Rates Rates Packages and Specials Content Integration
34. Knowledge engineering Transaction details for hotel and partners Selling property tracked on partner record arcRes for Tourism Partnerships Properties selects partners Selected partners displayed Final bookings page Widget on website
35. Knowledge engineering many results arcRes for Tourism Partnerships Flight search - GDS (Sabre) ian.com affiliate partner Airlines webrates now available to GDS FREE – Branded Solution $250setup Air search form set with arcres traveler details Airline Search & bookings is non commissionable – this service offered as a convenience. Some service fees may be applied – Branded solution receives 50% of services applied
36. A RC R E S Knowledge engineering Property description and photo Quotes Room descriptions Rates Specials automatically shown through RSS feeds. Bookings … all shown in Facebook and updated easily in arcRes. arcRes for Facebook
37. Knowledge engineering Transaction record show agent. Custom reports available Caribbean Specialists Resources Links to: Barbados Sandy Lane A Bookings Barbados Service direct on Travel Agents site * Axses supplied agent website * Agents own website arcRes for affiliates For the traveler:: compare lists, quotes, myRealHolidays website- -itineraries
38. Knowledge engineering arcRes for Portals For the traveler:: compare lists, quotes, myRealHolidays website- -itineraries Network of Sites
39. Knowledge engineering arcRes for Direct Marketing Transaction manager & Database (leads) Marketing Direct marketing system = broadcast arcMail = personal
40. arcRes GDS Knowledge engineering 3000 million reservation per month 400,000 travel agents 40,000 iDS arcRes for GDS Automatically load arcRes to GDS
41. Knowledge engineering arcRes for Facebook arcRes for GDS arcRes for e-Specials arcRes for Affiliates arcRes for Google Maps arcRes for Your Website arcRes for Bookable-ads arcRes for Portals arcRes for RSS Marketing arcRes Marketing Suites http:// arcres .com/ ecommerce -and-travel-marketing. cfm arcRes for Partnerships
42. . Knowledge engineering Combining Bookings and Advertising Building Brands and Direct business Giving travelers a uniquely rich experience More clicks and exposure of brands More leads and database marketing More brand control
43. *engineering information & process for the knowledge based economy making information malleable, configurable, searchable, accessible and delivered to suite knowledge engineering Examples of Bookings Portals building brands advanced technology | know-how training & support
51. Knowledge engineering Themes Marketing Information tailored to the occasions Tailored to the theme Database Marketing Traveler information 3 rd party reviews
52. Knowledge engineering Destination Marketing Context – Brand integrity Travelers want to see supplier sites Direct links at all stages of the buy cycle Product Promotion Build a reason to return Facilitate shopping The Medium is the Message Differentiation - Personality Promise & Expectation Relationship Loyalty - Ownership Sustainability Stickiness | Seamless
53. Knowledge engineering BookingsStLucia.com SUPPLIER ROI How much money can a hotel save by using this system? Case Study results for Hotel X that started using the arcRes Bookings-Expert December 2008 to July 09. Revenue generated from direct bookings $118,287 USD Revenue that the same sales would have generated using 3 rd Party Booking Engine given 15% off Rack Rates: $100,544 USD Cost/Investment in System : $ 375 USD ( Includes set up and training of Booking Engine and 1 Ad Special for the year) ROI: $ 17,368 USD (over a 6 month period)
54. . . knowledge engineering Creating long term sustainability Direct channels, destination marketing build brands & profits … . that last From Distribution Branding To Supplier Branding /direct sales Old paradigm- closed loop, distributor brand, distributor control & loyalty, high cost, vulnerable, fickle (ccourt, twt, trends) Destination marketing, supplier brand, open loop, supplier control, supplier loyalty, supplier profits, Barbados profits
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56. . . knowledge engineering Create a Supply Chain Solution for Stakeholders Multiple Channels managed by a single admin From multiple fragmented admin. To a single Umbrella TA’s/IDS TA’s/IDS IDS IDS Destination portals Destination portals
57. Knowledge engineering AXSES PEOPLE Directors Ian Clayton: CEO John Gibbs: Managing Director Kathy-Lynn Ward: Director Operations & Programming Programmers/Technical Shelly Burke Hussein Grant Kris Gooding André Rock Marketing and Support Julia Hyndman: e-commerce Marketing Ann-Marie Morris: Web Marketing Janelle Knight: Web Marketing St Lucia Partner: Glace Graphics
58. knowledge engineering T h a n k y o u Testimonial “ I can’t sing the praises of AXSES enough. I think they are doing a fantastic job in terms of tourism marketing. The staff are very knowledgeable and always willing to assist clients. Each step along the way during the last decade, they have made our advancement into the wireless world that much easier. For example with regards to GDS and with tailor-made marketing initiatives for the property.” Nautilus Beach Apartments Sept 2009
60. Knowledge engineering We deliver a Complete, integrated “TRAVEL PLATFORM” Hotels | Apartments | Villas | B&B | Guest Houses | Condos Timeshare | Cars | Activities | Attractions | Flight Bookings Integrated Marketing GDS/IDS/CRS Direct Marketing Channels | Caribbean Marketing Network Unique Theme Marketing systems | Channel Management | Affiliate Marketing Direct Mail Database & Mailing System | Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Adwords, banner and Links | Ads management (ArcAds) Interactive maps | Blogs | RSS | FaceBook | Cells & PDAs | Wikipedia | Research Quotation Systems, Reservation Systems Real Time Bookings | Up-Sell | Specials & Packages Dynamic Packaging | Specialised Rate Plans | Groups Management Easy to use, powerful tools Admin systems (media, content) | Customer Relations Management | Multi-Language Reporting |Allotments & Allocations | On-request availability | Block dates Search Engine | Newsletter Tool | Mail Systems Tool | Portal Tools Content Management | Property Management | Accounting Calendars | Guest Books | Availability calendars | PhotoGalleries | Virtual tours | Flash | Video | Postcards | e-Books | Trip Advisor | Links Management
61. helping small and medium sized resorts, tourism operators & destinations build their brands and increase direct business knowledge engineering AXSES MISSION building brands & direct marketing advanced technology – training & support – supplier tools
62. Building and Providing affordable supplier-centered tools and services for direct marketing and branding, while facilitating distribution knowledge engineering AXSES FOCUS supplier tools & services Direct Sales | Your Brand | Your Technology | Your Control shifting control to destinations
63. *engineering information & process for the knowledge based economy making information malleable, configurable, searchable, accessible and delivered to suite knowledge engineering Supplier Tools & Services e-commerce marketing & management direct marketing websites & portals reservations management global distribution social networking channel management hospitality management cost effective advertising / advertising management Intellectual resource & knowledge management