IFLY - travel sales on the web pure play Message Board

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Technology Stocks : IFLY - travel sales on the web pure play

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To: Evolution who wrote (3433)	1/3/1999 12:32:00 PM
From: M.R. Davis	Read Replies (2) of 4761

Andre I have tested the pilot. I haven't logged into the new site yet. Last time (late at night) there wasn't an agent available. I will try today later. From what I've heard the functionality is the same as the pilot except faster - graphically it's much better. Three things stand out for the IRIS site. Firstly - simplicity of use. Extremely easy to enter your itinerary - a lot of thought and experience when into the site design. Complex itineraries will have to be entered over the CHAT session or over the phone (you know multiple destinations). The fact is probably 95% of us have a simple itinerary - this is whom the site is designed for - and cuts down on all those extra complex options you find at other sites (although I have heard they are getting better. Quite simply - if you need the choice of extra options just CHAT to the agent about it! Secondly - the interactive CHAT session. I've purchased numerous goods over the internet - books, cameras, modems, CDs, software, parts for my car, beverages, vitamins etc.... some of the stuff at the auction sites. But I've never felt confident booking an airline ticket. Don't know why - just in the end I want to talk to somebody about it. And the research has shown that the majority of Internet users only use the travel websites to ball park the prices - then they call the travel agents on the phone! The experience of using the IRIS system removes this problem. One is so at ease because you have a real human being on the other end of the web saying "Hi Andre. This is agent Tony. I'll have your itinerary and prices in just a minute...." The thousands of non web-savvy, non-tech savvy users who are pouring onto the Internet will feel completely at home with the IFLY IRIS system. They will close a vastly superior number of sales than someone like Preview Travel. Thirdly - prices. IFLY's prices blow the competition out of the water. New York (JFK) to Cape Town return - $1071 at IFLY Same itinerary at Preview Travel was $1490. Question: will IFLY need to advertise much with these prices? Can you spell "word of mouth"? In summary - IRIS is excellent. But remember IFLY is not a category killer - they can't expand fast enough because of the HR implications. But they will take a large and very profitable slice of the pie, and one of the fastest growing pies at that - the Internet Travel Sector. Hope this helps. Mark

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