The pandemic has accelerated the move from offline to online and the trend is particularly stark in parts of Asia.
During the pandemic, millions of consumers have gone digital with many pushed to try new mobile applications for daily tasks such as grocery shopping.
Yeoh Siew Hoon, WebinTravel founder and editor, says the super app ecosystem got “super-sized during COVID.”
Hosting a Web in Travel Europe panel during last month’s Phocuswright Europe 2020 virtual event, she cites research from Facebook and Bain & Company revealing huge growth in the uptake of apps in the region.
The panel, which includes executives from Klook, LINE Travel jp and Rappi, discusses emerging trends, such as the relevance of location-based marketing via super apps.
They also focused on where Google might fit in the super app ecosystem with executives concluding that they are still a massive part of the marketing game but that now is a good time to diversify.
Other trends highlighted during the discussion are livestreaming from travel companies as an emerging marketing and distribution channel, the potential for “workations” and the move to buying direct from suppliers versus intermediaries.
Travel executives participating in the panel were:
- Sarah Wan, Southeast Asia marketing director at Klook.
- Kei Shibata, co-founder and CEO at LINE TRAVEL jp and Trip101.
- Guido Becher, head of travel at Rappi.
WiT Europe: Consumers, They Are A Changing - Web in Travel