Managing
data and distribution involves three steps:
I. Feeding Company data to the AEI central database
II. Distributing Company product to Agents & Partners
III. Updating the Company reservation system with sales
data made on the network
I. Feeding Company data to the AEI central database
In order to take advantage of AEI’s distribution
technology, all of Company’s product offerings,
trips and live book able seat inventory must be hosted
in the AEI central database.
Company exports trip data automatically from their
current reservation system to the AEI database via and
XML feed. This feed includes up to date seat availability
as per the Company res system. Examples of items exported
include trip name, description, itinerary, max seats
allowable, seat available and more. The feed is continually
refreshed thus ensuring seat availability is always
accurate and up to date. Custom services are available
to assist Company in mapping to the AEI XML requirements.
All data exported to AEI remains the property
of Company and AEI will not access nor sell, solicit
or prospect any of Company’s customers. Company
maintains total control and ownership of all client
and sales data. AEI merely acts as host and distributor.
II. Distributing Company
product to Agents & Partners
Once the trip inventory is exported to the AEI system,
AEI can then provide access to the inventory for all
of Company’s agents, staff, distributors and partners
in four different ways.
When all of Company’s partners are booking from
the same central repository of inventory, the need for
calls / faxes requesting availability status, the need
to set aside blocks of inventory are eliminated. Adventure
Engine can optimize current agent relations as well
as expand the distribution network for Company. With
2/3 of sales currently being completed by agents, a
real time sales system is essential and will reduce
administration costs considerably. The automation will
also include file transfers to agents/clients of voucher
redemption instructions, FAQs, client checklists, Terms
& Conditions and more).
II.1. Shopping Portals
IFrame portals are inset into agent/partner website
templates and include a set layout for each of the five
stages of the search and purchase experience - search
bar, search results, detailed itinerary, shopping cart
and check out.
Portals track commissions owing to the unique reseller
and Company can set / edit these commissions in their
administration area.
These portals can be made in a day and inserted by IT
in about 30 minutes onto the host (partner/agent) website.
Benefits For Agents
- More traffic/exposure for Company trips: maximize
your partner and agents sites by placing your trips
on their website. You benefit from their traffic, educate
their clientele, automate online sales and commission
tracking for unique partners/agents.
- No added administration: Adventure Engine will work
with each of your partners to set up portal on their
sites with only 2 lines of code.
- Agents offer this value add service to their clients
giving them the option to purchase online at their convenience.
- Rates are at retail and a credit card is required
for the booking.
Online distributor shopping portal examples
Squamish,
BC Chamber of Commerce
This portal is constrained to show only local BC communities.
Go
Travel World Online Magazine No constraints, all
trips showing
Supplier shopping portal
example http://www.timberwolftours.com/?page=tours&type=tour_h&l=en
Suppliers use Adventure Engine to complete online sales
in their own websites.
In this sample Click the “Wolf Icon” to
see the Adventure Engine booking page relevant to each
trip including ad ons. In this sample Timberwolf retains
all of its online trips content and used Adventure Engine
to create a unique booking page for its trips only.
II.2. Agent / Partner interface
– Net Rate Module
This module will allow an outside agent (or in house
staff) unique login access and the ability to purchase
seat inventory at net rate amounts thus negating the
need for an upfront credit card transaction. Activity
is tracked by Adventure Engine and monthly statements
prepared for both supplier and agent. The parties then
complete their payables / receivables externally using
the Adventure Engine reporting as back up. Net rate
values can be customized for each agent as well as other
privileges such as which trips they can sell, ability
to process transfers/refunds, discounts and whether
they can view reports.
This will save Company an enormous amount of administrative
time and expense and reduces errors occurring during
manual data transfers.
How it Works
Participating partners and agents register to the AEI
system and receive agent accounts and login access.
Operators who choose to participate in the agent net
rate interface module would direct all of their existing
agents and distributors to register as a distributor
with Adventure Engine. There is no fee for agents but
agent sales are subject to an additional 1% transaction
fee. Company can easily recover this fee by adjusting
the net rate amounts accordingly.
See supplier manual page 38 for overview
Module Benefits
-Allows Agents to access up to date, live, book able
seat inventory so they can sell your trips any time
of day or night without the need to contact you for
confirmation.
-Allows Agents to book your tours without a credit card
and then repackage in bundle with Air and resell to
their own Clients.
-The system tracks amount owing to you by each agency/agent
and activity reports are immediately accessible 24/7
by Agents and Company Management.
-Provides a quick and easy way for your agents to package
and sell your trips.
-Provides a quick and easy way to create reports to
manage and evaluate various agents.
- Adventure Engine will promote your Company and trips
to every new agent that joins the network.
II.3. Web Services
Delivery of trip content to a websit or application~
Web services deliver all the same options as the shopping
portals but with more design and layout functionality.
Rather than transmitting data in an iframe, the transmission
is a raw data feed and the agent can lay it out on their
site or into their res system in any manner they choose.
The Look and feel can be completely customized for agents
and partners, as well as contain commission tracking
to 3 levels.
Web services allow for more sophisticated agent/partner
application interfaces. Web services will demand more
of Company’s or Agent’s IT resources for
integration. Basic web service requires a credit card
to complete purchase at retail. AEI can build XML feeds
for each of Company’s Agents / Partners and export
that feed directly into Agent’s reservation system.
AEI takes responsibility for the build, all development
and maintenance of all Company’s agent feeds eliminating
the expense for Company to manage these individually
in house.
II.4. RSS Feeds to
agents and consumers to provide instant updates on Company
Tours
Adventure Engine can create RSS feeds for your organization
based on geographical destination, seat sales, latest
trips added/ edited and more. This is an excellent addition
to hard copy marketing and communication you may be
doing. Adventure Engine samples can be viewed at http://www.adventureengine.com/feeds.php
II.5 Webservices : getting
your trips on Adventure Engine.
This is how you put your trips on Adventure Engine and
we provide additional functionality.
Your company can upload your trips, availability, forms,
photos, T&Cs to the Adventure Engine database using
XML / web services.
Adventure Engine will pull your trips from your database
regularly so the latest sales or trip edits you have
made are show instantly on all of the AE outlets including
your sire, agent login and distribution channels.
Distribution network sales scenario
• Company database feeds Adventure Engine trip
data.
• Customer shops on Agent website portal and chooses
a Company trip.
• Customer reviews itinerary in Adventure Engine.
• Customer clicks “Book Now”
Then there are three options for check out and updating
the Company system:
Option 1 – AE shopping cart and either
AE or Company’s merchant account
• Customer purchases the trip on Agent’s
web site using the AEI shopping cart & merchant
account
• AEI deducts the commission owed to agents (if
applicable) and transaction fee of 1% plus credit card
charges and the funds are transferred to Company thus
reducing accounts payable and billing time.
• Company staff will receive an auto email alerting
them to the Adventure Engine sale.
• Adventure Engine will send a data bundle with
each sale to a Company liaison in a format as designated
by the Company for easy upload and updating to the Company
system (or Company can manually update their own system
based on sales info in the email confirmation). Company
can access all reports on Adventure Engine at any time
to update their own database and complete reconciliation's.
• Inventory on Adventure Engine is automatically
updated.
• If Company opts to use their own merchant account
funds are deposited directly to Company
Option 2 – Interface Company booking form
(shopping cart) into the AEI check out process
• Customer clicks “Book Now”.
• The Company booking page comes up populated
by AEI to show trip name, departure date.
• Customer makes booking adjusting seat inventory
in the Company system and using the Company credit card
merchant account. Company “PINGS” Adventure
Engine with successful sales data.
• The Adventure Engine inventory is updated automatically
with each feed pull.
• Adventure Engine invoices Company monthly for
transaction fees owing.
• Checkout remains within one website providing
a seamless and consistent experience for customer
Option 3 - Site population and booking form
redirected to the Company website
Similar to last option except the booking form resides
on the Company site and the customer is redirected to
the Company website booking form. Company must “PING”
Adventure Engine with completed sales data for tracking
purposes. Customer is redirected to the Company website.
Options 2 & 3 require Company to have an online
booking form that accepts payment and adjusts main Company
database inventory. (If Company does not have a booking
form in place Adventure Engine can provide this functionality).
At this time, option 1 is recommended but can be changed
in the future.
D. Online Sales for Company’s
websites
The shopping portal can also be used by Company to
provide online sales through their own main website.
It is understood that online sales is an initiative
Company is embarking upon. Use of the Adventure Engine
system could negate the need for this internal research
and development Company resulting in significant savings.
Supplier shopping portal example
Suppliers use Adventure Engine to complete online sales
in their own websites.
In this sample Click the “Wolf Icon” to
see the Adventure Engine booking page relevant to each
trip including ad ons. In this sample Timberwolf retains
all of its online trips content and used Adventure Engine
to create a unique booking page for its trips only.
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