Launch of search, map and recommendations data feeds mashup aims to transform buying city break deals
Launch of search, map and recommendations data feeds mashup aims to transform buying city break deals
Online travel and leisure retailer lastminute.com has launched a new onsite merchandising platform that uses Google maps, customer search, refinement and recommendation tools.
Called ‘inspire me,’ and powered by data feed extraction technology from e-commerce marketing technology provider FusePump, it allows lastminute.com customers to browse online for deals that best match the type of city break they are looking for. By ensuring that relevant results are returned every time, inspire me is designed to drive up conversion rates and online sales while improving the search and engagement experience for consumers.
Integrated search capability
The inspire me platform recommends city break destinations based on user-defined criteria including budget and timescale, as well as attributes such as culture, cuisine, nightlife, pampering and romance.
The user interface comprises three widgets: a search engine that allows users to specify budget and timescale (i.e. ‘how last minute?’), as well as rank their preferences; an interactive map based on the Google application programming interface (API) that dynamically displays destinations; and a search results widget providing package details, further recommendations and flight and hotel options.
The unit is powered using FusePump’s product data feed that contains lastminute.com’s inventory of city breaks. In other online marketing applications, the city breaks data feed converts click to buy consumers at around 3%.
Building on brand success
Mark Maddock, managing director UK at lastminute.com, said: the company wanted to take advantage of the fact that lastminute.com is one of the most widely recognised brands for dynamically packaged travel and leisure purchases.
“Many of our customers don’t have fixed ideas about their destination when they’re searching online for the best deals,” said Maddock. “We wanted to provide them with a creatively designed search interface that’s fun and easy to use. FusePump’s data feed and referral engine technology achieves this and ensures that relevant results are displayed every time.”
Lastminute.com’s ‘lifestyle’ website attracts 2.5 million visitors each week and already employs FusePump’s data feed technology, tools and services to effectively distribute its product data through its affiliate marketing channel.
The provider reported that these lifestyle data feeds have resulted in a 20% increase in revenue, while FusePump-powered widgets display its dynamically packaged city breaks feeds and have increased bookings by more than 16%.
