Page 97 - Introduction to Electronic Commerce and Social Commerce

76 3 Retailing in Electronic Commerce: Products and Services

For example, all major airlines have pages on Facebook that Sources: Based on Butcher (2008) and wayn.com
provide information and news about their airline and offer (accessed April 2016).
their customers a community to meet other travelers and
share experiences (e.g., see facebook.com/American Questions
Airlines). 1. Visit wayn.com. What options do you find most exciting
Several social networks have travel channels that cater to on the site?
travelers. An example of such networks is wikitravel.org, 2. Enter wayn.com and identify all advertising options. List
which features a travel channel that uses a wiki allowing any them and discuss three that would work best for you as a
Internet reader to create, update, edit, and illustrate any arti- traveler.
cle on the website (“the travel guide you write”). For a com- 3. Identify the mobile capabilities on the site.
prehensive resource on travel, see tripadvisor.com. Other 4. Why has WAYN been so successful even though the site
social networks available exclusively for travelers are Trip requires subscription fees for some of its services?
Wolf, Trip Hub (a blog dedicated to group travel), Trip
Advisor, Virtual Tourist, BootsnAll, and Lonely Planet. Case
3.1 shows an example of a social network for travelers. Benefits, Limitations, and Competition
in Online Travel Services

CASE 3.1: EC APPLICATION The benefits of online travel services to travelers and travel
WAYN: A LIFESTYLE AND TRAVEL SOCIAL providers are extensive. The amount of free information is
NETWORK voluminous, and is accessible at any time from any place.
Shoppers can find the lowest prices. Travel providers also
WAYN (wayn.com), which stands for “Where Are You benefit by eliminating commissions and selling otherwise-
Now?”, is a social network website with a goal of uniting empty spaces. Finally, processing fees are reduced.
travelers globally, allowing them to share experiences, Online travel services do have some limitations. First,
describe problems, participate in forums, and find friends. complex trips are difficult to arrange and may not be avail-
WAYN, a UK company, has grown from 45,000 members in able on some sites because they require complicated arrange-
2005 to over 22.4 million in 2014. Approximately two mil- ments. Therefore, the need for travel agents as intermediaries
lion members are based in the United Kingdom. WAYN is remains, at least for the time being.
popular in most major developed countries.
The capabilities of the site are similar to that of Facebook
and other major social networks. Travelers can search for Competition in Online Travel
contacts and visually locate them on countries’ maps. The
goal is for travelers to keep their friends informed of where The competition in online travel is intense. In addition to
they are while traveling and, in turn, to be able to locate their well-known pure players such as Expedia (expedia.com),
friends (“find who is around”). Priceline (priceline.com), and Hotels.com (hotels.com),
In addition, users can send SMSs to any of their contacts there are thousands of travel-related sites online. Many ser-
worldwide and chat online using WAYN’s Instant Messenger. vice providers have their own sites, related websites advertise
Utilizing WAYN, users can create discussion groups, make travel sites, and tourist guides sell services or direct users to
friends, plan trips, and ask for recommendations. them. In such a competitive environment, online businesses
As of April 2016, WAYN is available in 198 countries, may fail (e.g., Travel-Ticker folded in September 2012).
becoming a global and profitable brand. WAYN is followed on
Facebook and Twitter. To survive, the company sells travel
deals and provides advertising opportunities to service provid- Corporate Travel
ers (see wayn.com/advertising). WAYN can be accessed on
the go via several downloadable mobile applications (see wayn. The corporate travel market is huge and its online portion has
com/mobileapps). The site also provides an opportunity to been growing rapidly in recent years. Corporations can use
meet like-minded people and make friends. For a comprehen- all the online travel services mentioned earlier where they
sive description, see tnooz.com/article/wayn-social-travel- may receive special services. Companies can enable employ-
revenue-gains (posted February 2014). To read an interview ees to plan and book their own trips to save time and money.
with the CEO of WAYN, see travelblather.com/2013/01/the- Using online optimization tools provided by travel
future-for-social-travel-websites-an-interview-with-wayn- companies, such as those offered by American Express
ceo-pete-ward.html. (amexglobalbusinesstravel.com), companies can try to