An efficient eCommerce allows you to improve brand positioning, build trust in the industry and attract new customers.
When bus companies consider ways to diversify their sales channels and reach customers of different profiles and generations, the answer is always to go digital. Purchasing habits are changing, and digital travelers are looking for brands they can connect with through their devices.
Having an optimal eCommerce platform allows companies to improve their brand positioning, build trust in the industry, and attract new customers. However, it is no longer enough to have an attractive website; it must also be functional and secure and become one of the most important sales channels as a digital box office is the easiest and cheapest way to sell tickets.
Digitization and data management
Digitization and data management are crucial in this regard. According to Statista, Brazil has the largest number of Internet users in Latin America, with a total of 165 million connected Brazilians, while Mexico ranks second with 96 million online users. Furthermore, Google analyzed Latin American digital travelers in 2022 and found that 93% of people surveyed searched for something related to travel, and 84% saw ads on this topic.
Faced with an increasingly competitive landscape and a more dynamic public than ever, the land transport sector, specifically buses, needs a digital strategy that allows users to transform their information into sales opportunities. “Using the information obtained through digital tools in your business is the best way to stand out because it makes the operation more efficient,” explains Sebastián Gómez, co-founder at Reservamos.
The collected data plays a crucial role and must be analyzed and used to meet and improve the needs of both travelers and the company. Personalization and traveler loyalty are key objectives to generate a better online experience and monetize loyalty. Rodrigo Cobo, executive director of Talaria Marketing and Reservamos Advisor, believes that marketing strategies based on obtaining and analyzing traveler data are what allow for much greater and more successful segmentation.
A company that is 100% offline is no longer 100% competitive
For new generations, it is essential to find their favorite services online, as this is their first source of research. Therefore, a company that has not taken the step towards digitalization loses the opportunity to participate in the decision-making process. According to Statista, Latin America has nearly 300 million eCommerce users.
“The ability to choose and compare between different brands and the mapping of all routes is essential today. It provides a lot of value not only for users but also for healthy competition between the bus companies,” says Javier Valdez, co-founder of MaaS Latam and Communications and Marketing Manager of Endeavor Mexico.
Digital transformation not only helps companies to be more cost-efficient, but it also increases sales and creates loyalty within the tourism industry. It is crucial for any company today, as Sebastián Gómez explains: “Before, entering the digital market was a differentiator; now, it is a fundamental pillar just to be able to compete with the rest.”
Hand in hand with Reservamos SaaS technology, Mexican bus line Primera Plus has launched a Carbon Offset initiative, which allows travelers to offset emissions when purchasing their tickets online. This supports regional projects aimed at conserving forests, generating energy from natural and renewable sources, and more.
Carbon credits are a market mechanism that enables companies to offset their greenhouse gas emissions that they cannot directly reduce. This is an effective means of combating climate change and promoting sustainable practices globally.
In the bus industry, the implementation of carbon credits has a major impact on reducing emissions and encourages more sustainable practices. It also connects the company with travelers who seek alternatives from companies focused on a greener future. A recent report by Comscore found that in Mexico 65% of millennial and centennial consumers desire companies to take a stand on environmental and social values that matter to them.
The Reservamos SaaS development team integrated this initiative into the Primera Plus eCommerce and mobile application, offering travelers a way to mitigate the impact of their trips and contribute to efforts that benefit the planet. The carbon credits are available on the bus line’s eCommerce and in its mobile application.
This initiative has been successful among travelers, especially on routes connecting Mexico City with cities like Querétaro, Guadalajara, León, Celaya, and San Luis Potosí, where users show greater interest in obtaining their carbon offset certificates.
By using technology, the bus sector can better understand its passengers and their interests, thus developing strategies to connect with them.
Empty seats on a bus are one of the most recurring problems for many bus companies. Each seat that stops selling represents a loss and vulnerability in long-term operations. Far from being a new problem in the transportation industry, this was precisely the one that inspired US airlines to seek a solution in the late 1970s. The result is what is now known as Revenue Management.
What is Revenue Management?
Revenue Management is a technique that consists of obtaining historical data such as schedules, destinations, pricing of higher demand, and occupancy rate. This information is analyzed to find trends and implement sales strategies that maximize revenue.
In other words, it is a business process capable of generating forecasts and proposing strategies and price initiatives on time, promoting the growth and profitability of your business, based on an understanding of the company, the environment, the competition, and consumers, along with analysis tools and data crossing.
It provides a wide view of the business because it involves different areas of the organization and consolidates information from various sources to generate proposals and make decisions. Thus, Revenue Management replaces the basic models for defining sales prices, so that neither sales nor brand prestige is depreciated.
What is the Revenue Management process?
The methodology begins with the collection and storage of historical inventory data, such as prices, demand, high seasons, and other constant factors in the line operation. Market segmentation is then performed to set prices and maximize revenue.
Subsequently, demand, inventory, and market share forecasts are carried out to finally combine the data and make decisions to set the correct prices for the right customer at the right time and through the right channel. The Revenue Management process is cyclical, so it is in constant feedback and updating.
2022 was an important year for Reservamos SaaS. That inspired us to capture in a fun way our achievements with the bus companies that have trusted us, and thanks to the great team we have put together, all specialists and passionate about the sector! And also share with you the new challenges that are coming up. We are very excited!
To do this, we thought of a different way to share our Reservamos SaaS Annual Report 2022. We turned it into a digital journey that you will surely enjoy. Hoping it will be very inspiring for your company.
So, don’t wait any longer to discover everything the Reservamos SaaS ecosystem can do for you and your travelers. And be part of the bus sector’s digital transformation.
In the links below, you will find our report in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Click on your preferred language, enter your name, and access the report.
With a range of routes throughout central and western Mexico, Grupo Flecha Amarilla faced the challenge of boosting its digital channels and creating a successful omnichannel experience for its Primera Plus bus line.
This challenge also had an important impact on their marketing strategy, since they needed to create a full experience to boost downloads of their application and increase the conversion rate.
The digital leap
With the help of Reservamos Saas technology, in 2018 Primera Plus began its journey towards digitizing its box office. The first step was to carry out an A/B Test to test the performance of the Primera Plus page against the Reservamos SaaS e-commerce solution. This was done by dividing the traffic from the brand’s standard sales funnel and the e-commerce created by Reservamos SaaS by 50%, respectively.
During the A/B Test period, Reservamos SaaS e-commerce doubled the number of transactions starting from the same traffic base. At the end of the test, Primera Plus decided to implement the e-commerce solution, with the aim of strengthening its digital channel and increasing its conversion rate, through an optimized purchase funnel and a friendly user experience. This was reflected in an increase in the volume of transactions by +50% compared to the same period of the previous year.
Based on the good results obtained, at the end of that same year, Primera Plus started a second stage to bring all the functions of its e-commerce and make them available to the mobile devices of its travelers, through the Apps solution from Reservamos SaaS.
This helped Primera Plus to standardize all channels under the same technology, developed exclusively for the bus sector, and maintain control of its digital operation. In addition to offering greater benefits to its travelers, and receiving constant support from the Reservamos SaaS team.
The same experience wherever you are
The biggest challenge for Primera Plus was to offer the same level of purchasing experience both on its website and on the mobile app. In addition, to have the technology that would allow the app to be ranked among the best rated in the industry, both in Android and iOS operating systems.
The Reservamos SaaS team focused on offering the same functionalities, to make the shopping experience for travelers easier, more dynamic, and more flexible. In this way, it was possible to build an omnichannel strategy that allowed the bus line to maintain effective and unique communication with its traveler, through all available platforms.
Starting with the optimization of the shopping experience, the Primera Plus Marketing team focused its communication efforts on promoting the download of the mobile app and thus directing traffic from the website to the app. The performance of the app created by Reservamos SaaS generated an average growth of 70% in apps downloaded for iOS and 35% for Android.
The challenge of connecting with digital travelers
In just two years, Primera Plus went from having an app with a 3.5 rating in app stores to reaching 79% of users who rated the version of the app developed by Reservamos SaaS with five stars. In addition, the recurrence of visits and purchases by the same user over time has been greater through the app; since on average they have more than 100% retention than any other digital channel.
Through the implementation of Reservamos SaaS tools and solutions, the Primera Plus app started with a 26% conversion rate, and as it spread among travelers, it reached a 52% conversion rate.
From the beginning, Primera Plus’s strategy has been focused on taking its traveler to a flexible, dynamic purchasing experience.
Through technology capable of adapting to their needs, and above all, simplifying processes to give them what the traveler needs so much, the time to enjoy their trip.
Reservamos SaaS is that ally, which helps bus lines to transform the purchasing experience, make it easier and solve travelers’ lives, from the moment they start their search until the end of their trip.
Contact us at [email protected], and let your bus company be part of this digital transformation.
