Goibibo is confident that its recently launched "One View" product is an "industry first".
Tnooz reported on One View earlier this week, prompting a number of public and private conversations around the veracity of Goibibo's "industry first" claims. Some readers commented their suspicions below.
In response to requests for clarification, Goibibo responded in detail.
It said:
"Goibibo has always focused on creating innovative and need based products and that is something that we have achieved through One View feature as well. "One View feature is industry first because of following reasons: 1) Phone graph that has been to the destination: The feature leverages the ‘Go Contacts’ feature to allow users to discover which of their friends have travelled to the same destination that they are planning for and allows them to get a feedback on their experience and travel plans that helps the users.2) Multi modes of transportation and accommodation in a single view: One View allows users to view and compare all the available modes of travel, check hotels, and make bookings on a single screen versus users visiting individual verticals or visiting multiple platforms to make individual bookings. 3) Community Q&A in a single view: Q&A option that allows users to have access to the Goibibo social community feature that allows users to view user-generated content such as reviews, trip itineraries, photos, blogs, tips, videos etc to make the most informed choice while making their bookings. All the information is provided in single window, thereby curtailing the time required to make a travel booking. We are more than happy to be challenged if anyone feels that the above feature by Goibibo is not an industry first.
For context, here is the original article:
Goibibo's ongoing rollout of "industry first" mobile and app innovations continues apace following its merger with MakeMyTrip.
"One View", launched a month or so ago, is based on a simple concept, with the hard work done behind the screens. The Goibibo Android and iOS apps now open with a default home page asking "Where do you want to go?" The origin is based on the phone's location or users can specify.
Results are presented in a single view, and aggregate real-time pricing and inventory from airlines, buses, cabs and shared cars, allowing users to compare journey times, convenience and cost in one screen.
The search result screen also brings up accommodation options in the destination, and also connects to Gocontacts, the feature which allows Goibibo users to create their own social network within the app. They can then ask their contacts specific questions, at the same time as seeing the trending question and answers related to the destination from the entire Goibibo community.
Since launch, conversion rates have increased by 30%.
Ashish Kashyap, who founded Ibibo Group and is now president and cofounder, Make My Trip-Ibibo Merged Entity said:
“This feature uses location, community and phone graph to deliver this experience. Going forward we want to bring AI and hyper-personalization to this tool.”
The "merged entity" announced earlier this week that it had raised $330 million. With its financial muscle, tech expertise and portfolio of complementary brands, it is well on its way to becoming "the one-stop for all Indian travellers".