Due to the Covid-19 situation, the question has been raised again: “Selling online: yes or no?”. Actually, the answer is quite obvious for those who have always worked online. Find out more with this article on the online travel sales business.
As expected, while the whole world came to a halt, online commerce – even essential products such as food – saw a boom.
Even businesses, which until February were not interested in e-commerce, started considering this new possibility. Of course, it was necessary to find a solution to the lockdown and the lack of customers in physical stores.
Even physical travel agencies were affected: as the tourism industry was the sector with the highest loss, off-line businesses had to go through a rough patch.
Leases, taxes and bills to pay and no customers.
An extremely sad and almost apocalyptic scenario which has affected everyone.
Today, many travel agents are asking themselves where they should start diversifying their business model, realising that events such as Covid-19 and the lockdown have marked an era and it is now more important than ever to think about the present and the future.
Evolution Travel has been operating only online for 20 years. This has allowed the company to develop a business model which has proved to be crucial today.
Running an online business is not an easy task.
Talking about “selling online”, regardless of which product you are selling, has little or no meaning.
How do you sell online? But above all: who are your customers?
The effectiveness of the Evolution Travel model became increasingly evident during the Covid-19 situation: knowing how to sell specific products to niches allowed online travel consultants to never stop working.
Something that would have been regarded as an innovative idea 20 years ago (doing marketing online, selling holidays without a physical agency but using only PCs and an internet connection) has always been the norm for us.
This is what made the difference for us as we didn’t have to adapt or reinvent our business to respond to this taxing situation: we simply kept working online with the same method and professionalism, as we have always done.
Instead, many other businesses in all sectors had to react hastily to the situation, without time to rethink their business model.
It was not a thoughtful decision but just a way to adapt and survive on the market.
Regarding the travel industry, we believe that we have the experience to affirm that online sales is not a business where you can improvise, especially in such difficult times as these.
Then, what is the choice?
Through our extensive experience, we have learnt that creating only targeted and well established marketing campaigns allows you to reach those customers who are really interested in a specific product.
One of the advantages is, for example, that the consultant is able to offer only products that are really saleable.
It also allows to conclude the sale without the need for an in-person meeting.
Remote working, online advertising, online communication, apps and technologies to work from anywhere in the world: most companies have only started using these tools now.
Evolution Travel, instead, has known and used these technologies for 20 years. Regardless of the current emergency we are all facing, our system has passed all tests and it is completely operational.
It is no coincidence that, exactly during the lockdown, we were contacted by a large number of traditional travel agents requesting information on how to become an online travel consultant.
Evolution Travel: an industry leader
The world crisis has shown everyone the urgency of rethinking their business. The Evolution Travel model was able to provide a sense of stability for the many agents who contacted the company, looking for an answer to many “global” questions.
We were able to provide the answer because this way of doing business has been our everyday work for 20 years.
Unfortunately, the current situation does not leave much room for experiments and investments to try to start an online sales business.
It is very important to carefully decide your next moves.
Do you want to fight just to stay afloat or do you want to sail through this current situation – albeit at a slower speed – relying on the 20-year experience of those who have always worked online?
If you think that it is the right time to start selling holidays online without “being in deep water”, then you are ready to become an Online Travel Consultant!
By Stefania Bochicchio
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