Much interest a month ago in the launch of a personal affiliate scheme on Facebook that allows users to get rewards for recommending travel products to friends.
Unveiled at the end of August 2010 by the OnHolidayGroup, Google Bypass runs through its Holiday Nights accommodation-only and gives £25 to Facebook users if they refer to a friend to a product on the system which they eventually buy.
The cheekily titled Google Bypass was created primarily because OHG CEO Steve Endacott claims Google takes around 75% of an agent's commission through PPC costs.
The scheme gives the commission to individuals because, Endacott claims, can be more loyal and there is a better chance of them recommending a product or company again.
So, a month into the scheme, how is it performing?
- Roughly 80,000 people on the Holiday Nights database have been notified through a direct marketing campaign that they can obtain rewards for plugging products to their friends.
- Around 2,400 people are "actively posting" deals around their networks.
- The average value of a booking is £324
- A grand total of 62 bookings have been made so far through the system.
Perhaps the most important stat comes back to the commission element. OHG says the average cost for using the scheme is 7.7% of the total value.
As an aside, some suspected that the rather pointed title for the project might trigger some furrowed brows and legal action at Google UK HQ in London.
Nothing official, but it is understood that Google has yet to utter a dissenting word about Google Bypass to OHG.