Comments on: Comparison sites in travel and why they are so hard to build http://www.droug.co.uk/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html Doug Scott's thoughts and opinions Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:38:25 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.4 By: Doug Scott http://www.droug.co.uk/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html/comment-page-1#comment-4069 Doug Scott Wed, 17 Mar 2010 15:27:15 +0000 http://www.asapventures.co.uk/blog/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html#comment-4069 I beg to differ and I think I should know as we run the largest car hire comparator site in the Europe. The problems: 1. Getting the deals 2. Getting the suppliers to give you a feed 3. Cross matching all the suppliers depots with each other as they dont call them the same name. There are almost 10000 depots in the world and many suppliers use different names for them. 4. Making sure that their feed keeps working as many constantly time out 5. Making sure that the suppliers feed the right info 6. Make sure you are aware when the supplier has problems, ie there are no cars available but the supplier says there is 7. Check that the purchases convert to sales as many suppliers will offer cars that are on request but don't convert and the supplir will not pay you 8. Reconciling the sales that you believe you have to how many actaully happened and making sure you got paid 9. Checking that suppliers will not go broke as many do 10. If a supplier does go broke how do you make certain that the customers are ok. Doug 4. Making sure they pay you for all the sales I beg to differ and I think I should know as we run the largest car hire comparator site in the Europe.

The problems:

1. Getting the deals
2. Getting the suppliers to give you a feed
3. Cross matching all the suppliers depots with each other as they dont call them the same name. There are almost 10000 depots in the world and many suppliers use different names for them.
4. Making sure that their feed keeps working as many constantly time out
5. Making sure that the suppliers feed the right info
6. Make sure you are aware when the supplier has problems, ie there are no cars available but the supplier says there is
7. Check that the purchases convert to sales as many suppliers will offer cars that are on request but don’t convert and the supplir will not pay you
8. Reconciling the sales that you believe you have to how many actaully happened and making sure you got paid
9. Checking that suppliers will not go broke as many do
10. If a supplier does go broke how do you make certain that the customers are ok.

Doug
4. Making sure they pay you for all the sales

]]> By: Elephant Car http://www.droug.co.uk/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html/comment-page-1#comment-4033 Elephant Car Mon, 15 Mar 2010 20:27:02 +0000 http://www.asapventures.co.uk/blog/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html#comment-4033 Car hire comparision sites are relatively easy. Car hire comparision sites are relatively easy.

]]> By: Doug http://www.droug.co.uk/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html/comment-page-1#comment-295 Doug Wed, 23 Apr 2008 23:04:54 +0000 http://www.asapventures.co.uk/blog/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html#comment-295 Yes not bad but several issues Why do your flight search feature so few players Why such a bad name:) Doug Yes not bad but several issues

Why do your flight search feature so few players
Why such a bad name:)

Doug

]]> By: daniel http://www.droug.co.uk/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html/comment-page-1#comment-293 daniel Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:58:01 +0000 http://www.asapventures.co.uk/blog/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html#comment-293 Hello, We have build this search engine for flight - http://www.trabber.co.uk We also have in spain a search engine for Hotel - http://www.trabber.com/es/hoteles/ Most of what you say it is true but I think we have managed to do a nice development. Let me know your thouhts. Hello,

We have build this search engine for flight – http://www.trabber.co.uk

We also have in spain a search engine for Hotel – http://www.trabber.com/es/hoteles/

Most of what you say it is true but I think we have managed to do a nice development.

Let me know your thouhts.

]]> By: Doug http://www.droug.co.uk/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html/comment-page-1#comment-157 Doug Sat, 29 Mar 2008 19:28:02 +0000 http://www.asapventures.co.uk/blog/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html#comment-157 Globus, hopefully we will get it right on http://www.asap.co.uk :) Globus, hopefully we will get it right on http://www.asap.co.uk :)

]]> By: Globus http://www.droug.co.uk/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html/comment-page-1#comment-142 Globus Wed, 26 Mar 2008 09:51:28 +0000 http://www.asapventures.co.uk/blog/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html#comment-142 You make some valid points. The fact remains that most people in this game are hardly well-placed to succeed. Resource as you state is an overriding issue, but moreso, few if any companies can cross the divide of understanding - which lies between the technical (getting the data, assimilating it, making it useable) and selling the concept (understanding what people want, and getting people booking). Some sites are great technically, but you wouldn't book anything on them even if they were the last one left on Google. Others have great product, but are shit functionally. Taking Google as the ultimate comparator, even they have a shedload of faults, so it just goes to show that this is still a developing area of online, which suggests why so many are interested in it - but then realise that the barriers to entry are extremely high. You make some valid points. The fact remains that most people in this game are hardly well-placed to succeed. Resource as you state is an overriding issue, but moreso, few if any companies can cross the divide of understanding – which lies between the technical (getting the data, assimilating it, making it useable) and selling the concept (understanding what people want, and getting people booking). Some sites are great technically, but you wouldn’t book anything on them even if they were the last one left on Google. Others have great product, but are shit functionally.

Taking Google as the ultimate comparator, even they have a shedload of faults, so it just goes to show that this is still a developing area of online, which suggests why so many are interested in it – but then realise that the barriers to entry are extremely high.

]]> By: Conor http://www.droug.co.uk/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html/comment-page-1#comment-138 Conor Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:13:22 +0000 http://www.asapventures.co.uk/blog/comparator-sites-in-travel-and-why-they-are-so-hard-to-build.html#comment-138 Mate, I couldn't agree more. Had I known how hard it would be to even integrate dynamic packaging, I would have left all of our travel websites as quote/lead generators and stuck to Adsense and Aff ;) The craziness is that even some major suppliers have the same hotels listed several times with diffent ID's ! Mate, I couldn’t agree more. Had I known how hard it would be to even integrate dynamic packaging, I would have left all of our travel websites as quote/lead generators and stuck to Adsense and Aff ;)

The craziness is that even some major suppliers have the same hotels listed several times with diffent ID’s !

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