E-Sales & Distribution Signature Course

This course guides you in a better understanding and development of a comprehensive e-retail sales & distribution strategy. Attendees will be provided a framework for establishing a cohesive approach that repositions your company and establishes the strong foundation for sustainable growth.

Course Highlights

• Investigate airline industry retail e-sales & distribution trends
• Examine web pricing and ancillary retail distribution strategies
• Understand and identify key digital market e-sales drivers and enablers
• Case studies of top performers from the airline and e-retail industry
• Interactive breakout sessions analyzing your company’s strengths and weaknesses
• Initial recommendations of how to improve your competitive positioning

Course Outline

• Factors driving and enabling growth of the digital travel market
• How much travel is sold online? Global and regional growth rates and market shares
  The evolution of the expanding digital market place: From CRSs to the launch of the first airline websites and the emergence of mobile web, social media, and virtual reality
• Selling directly vs indirectly: Do airlines still need middlemen?
• The travel life cycle and the emergence of the attention economy in digital travel
• Traveler use of common platforms (desktop, mobile, airport kiosk, inflight, social) and emerging platforms (virtual, IoT, wearable) in e-sales
• Overview: How does an online booking engine work?
• Profiling the key participants and their roles in e-sales & distribution: Online travel agencies, meta-search engine providers, and GDS

1. The rising importance of ancillaries
   • History of ancillary: From cross-sale products to unbundling fares
   • Ryanair.com: The Amazon in the sky?
   • Opportunities and challenges for airlines using merchandising and becoming online retailers (case study Air Canada and Spirit)
   • Overview of IATA Resolution 787 on the new distribution capability (NDC)
2. The cost of airline sales & distribution
   • Overview of cost components in the travel eco system
   • Cost comparison by channel
   • The emergence of “Direct Connect” in e-sales & distribution. Case study: American Airlines, Lufthansa
3. Introduction to airline web pricing
   • Fares on the web or web fares?
   • Web fares: An overview of the different products (from promo codes to low fare guarantees)
   • “Lowest price” vs “My price”: What do customers want?
   • Myths and realities in airline web pricing
4. Key developments in e-sales & distribution
   • New players in e-travel: The rise of CAFGAA (Concur, Apple, Facebook, Google, Amazon, Alibaba)
   • Co-existence of multiple e-sales & distribution arrangements: Traditional (GDS based), direct connect, and airline.com
   • Business aviation: Partner or competitor to the commercial airline industry?