by Marisol Morelos | Apr 26, 2024 | eCommerce
Discover how Reservamos SaaS, through its Core product team, implements technological innovations in the bus sector with the help of the A/B Test methodology.
Developing new functionalities within a technological solution involves analyzing different factors, such as user behavior, market trends, best practices in UI/UX, and adoption of new technologies, among others.
At Reservamos SaaS we work to provide innovation for our partners in each solution implemented in their companies. To do so, we have a Core product team to work on new functionalities within the eCommerce platform.
The Core product team is in charge of adding different innovations within the roadmap of the bus companies with Reservamos SaaS as a technological partner.
Within its development process, this technology squad launches tests of those functionalities, to ensure their success, provide a better service to travelers, and increase the bus companies’ revenues.
Our Core product team is working to bring additional functionalities to our partners’ roadmap, resulting in more innovation than they are demanding. -Óscar Jiménez, product manager at Reservamos SaaS.
The A/B Test methodology enables the Core product team to evaluate two variants fairly under a controlled population segment.
It speaks very well of a company that implements this type of methodology. We are unbiased when making a decision. You put two variants in the competition and evaluate which one performs better. -Óscar Jiménez, product manager at Reservamos SaaS.
The Reservamos SaaS Core product team stands out for its commitment to continuous innovation and constant improvement of the functionalities offered to its partners in the bus sector. Implementing the A/B Test methodology emerges as a fundamental pillar in this process, enabling an impartial and accurate evaluation of the new features introduced in the technological ecosystem.
What is A/B Test?
The A/B Test, also known as the A/B test or split test, is a methodology used in digital marketing and data analysis to compare two versions of an element, such as a website, a mobile app, an email, or an ad; to determine which one is more effective in terms of reaching a predetermined goal, such as conversions, click-through rates or sales.
In an A/B test, the audience is randomly divided into two groups: the control group, which views the original version (A), and the test group, which views a different version (B), which may vary in a specific aspect, such as the color of a button, the text of an ad or the layout of a page. The groups’ results are compared to determine which version generates better target metric results.
This approach is crucial for enhancing user experience and making data-driven decisions in the digital world. It helps us determine which modifications are more impactful and result in better outcomes, enabling us to refine our strategies and achieve better performance over time.
Through the A/B Test, a fair comparison between variants is achieved, which facilitates the identification of those that generate better performance and, therefore, a more satisfactory experience for end users.
This data-driven approach optimizes user experience and supports informed decision-making and continuous strategy improvement at Reservamos SaaS.
How is the A/B Test applied in Reservamos SaaS?
A couple of weeks ago, the Core product team launched the redesign of the results screen displayed when a user searches for bus tickets in our allies’ eCommerce.
One of the main changes to the screen is that seats are shown when there is a sense of urgency, i.e. when there are less than 6 seats available.
For this new functionality, the Core product team worked with the help of the A/B Test methodology to evaluate the results of the redesign. For example, Óscar says that when they tested this functionality they had 50% of users who could see the new results screen and the other 50% with the old version of the screen.
Here what we were interested in measuring was, out of that number of people, how many went on to an attempt to buy, i.e. I am interested in choosing a travel schedule for the funnel process. -Óscar Jimenez, product manager at Reservamos SaaS.
In this experiment, according to Oscar, the number they were most interested in measuring was the percentage of users who completed a purchase. “He also mentions that this methodology is useful in eliminating biases like seasonality. For instance, conducting the A/B test during the peak season helped remove any bias regarding the reasons why one variant may be better than the other.”
The value of the A/B test is that it removes biases so you can determine when a feature you changed performed better or worse. We achieved excellent results with our A/B tests of the new improvements. -Oscar Jimenez, product manager at Reservamos SaaS.
Before conducting an A/B test, the Core product team aligns with partner companies to ensure they are informed of the methodology and metrics. From the first day of the launch, the data is monitored and its evolution is communicated to the bus companies.
One of the defining qualities of the Core product team is our willingness to try new things and implement significant alterations to the funnel or product. This is done to improve or understand which hypotheses can be improved. Beyond the result on the results screen, the A/B Test allows us to experiment in a safe and reliable way. -Óscar Jiménez, product manager at Reservamos SaaS.
Why is it important to perform an A/B Test?
According to Oscar, the importance of the A/B Test is that it allows the Core product team to perform a fairer analysis of the performance and success of a functionality.
You should perform the task simultaneously, under identical conditions, and among a well-defined and segmented percentage of users. -Óscar Jiménez, product manager at Reservamos SaaS.
Bus companies that lack robust technology teams can benefit greatly from implementing A/B testing. Rápido Ochoa is an example of a company that has taken advantage of new functionalities such as the search widget, with recommendations of recent searches, the autocomplete feature, and the new results screen.
For them, it is a very positive evolution. With this, we can democratize the functionalities of all our partners in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Peru, ensuring that A/B tests have an impact on everyone. It is recommended to conduct A/B tests in other markets, even if the functionality is the same. -Óscar Jiménez, product manager at Reservamos SaaS.
In summary, the A/B test is an effective tool for continuous improvement and a great example of how technology and collaboration can drive growth and innovation in the bus industry.
by Marisol Morelos | Apr 22, 2024 | Bus evolution
With this new appointment, Reservamos SaaS strengthens its presence in Brazil, and advances its commitment to drive the digital evolution of the bus sector throughout the Latam region.
At Reservamos SaaS we are committed to the mission of leading the digital transformation of the bus sector in the Latin American region.
As part of our expansion and strengthening phase, we remain on a mission to develop the technology and attract the talent needed to guide bus companies towards digital growth.
That is why, as of April 22nd, we announced the integration of Thiego Paes to Reservamos SaaS as Country Manager for Brazil. Fernando Aguilera, who had been in this position, will continue to lead the company’s expansion through special projects, which we will share soon.
Thiego joins Reservamos SaaS to leverage efforts in culture, team, markets and technology. Since our official entry into Brazil in January 2023, we have cultivated trusted relationships with the main players in the sector, based on our knowledge and experience. We are currently in advanced stages of implementation and development with large companies in Brazil, accompanying their digital evolution and expansion. In 2024, we will consolidate our presence in Mexico, Colombia and Brazil and we will also start operations in other countries in the region, such as Chile and Peru, thus strengthening our presence and commitment to the growth of the industry.
Thiego’s track record in mobility and transportation issues in the region is extensive, highlighting its 11 years of growth and leadership in TAM and its participation in the creation of what is now Latam Airlines. Within the bus sector, he began his career with Grupo JCA, one of the largest holding companies in Brazil, owner of brands such as Cometa, 1001, Catarinense and Expresso do Sul. His contribution was mainly focused on driving the sector forward, through the adoption of new technologies, the implementation of changes in operational processes, and the introduction of new brands to the market.
His most recent experience was the creation and conformation of the brand wemobi, a 100% digital bus company, created by Grupo JCA to face a new trend of online competitors. There, Thiego started as Project Manager, until reaching the General Management. Among his achievements is the publication by the MIT Technology Review Magazine of Brazil, in which he highlights wemobi as a success story for its revenue growth, based on the implementation of Reservamos SaaS Revenue Management technology.
Why choose Reservamos SaaS as a technological partner?
Thiego began his work experience in the airline industry, which while its main focus is on customers and technology to improve the travel experience, also faces financial challenges due to high operational and fleet renewal costs, as well as excessive centralization in a few technology providers. These limitations restrict opportunities for innovation in the sector.
By migrating to the bus sector, Thiego set itself the goal of driving a technological transformation within Grupo JCA, in order to generate a high impact. At wemobi, he opened the doors to digital growth in one of the most important mobility industries, such as passenger ground transportation in Brazil. This commitment to digital evolution brings him to Reservamos SaaS.
Upon learning about Reservamos SaaS and the vision of its founders, I was impressed by its potential to transform the bus industry globally and in Latin America. I decided to join the team to support from the inside this innovative strategy, which promises lasting change. I felt a strong connection with their vision and focus on adding value through technology, which is reflected in the tangible results they deliver to the companies that trust them. – Thiego Paes, Country Manager for Brazil at Reservamos SaaS.
Thiego acknowledges that in this new position he has a lot to learn as he sees Reservamos SaaS as a technology expert. He shares that he is motivated by the idea of learning more about how the solutions that make up the Reservamos SaaS technology ecosystem are evolving.
Challenges and vision of the bus sector in Brazil
According to Thiego, the Brazilian bus sector is going through a major change due to the arrival of new platforms, a new regulatory framework and changes in customer behavior.
In recent years, the market was very focused on combating illegality, suffered the impacts of the pandemic, and spending so many hours and energy on these issues slowed down its advances in technology, to take care of and get to know the customer better. Making this move on its own is not fast, is not simple and is still not efficient, because it is something outside its core business, or that generates high costs, at a time of market recovery and need for fleet renewal -Thiego Paes, Country Manager for Brazil at Reservamos SaaS.
One of the main challenges, according to Thiego, will be to show bus companies the investments in technology and their results in an efficient way, and to give access to better solutions, with global impact.
We must show how our technology can change the strategy and the future of this sector. -Thiego Paes, Country Manager for Brazil at Reservamos SaaS.
Reservamos SaaS technology is developed from Mexico, one of the best IT training centers in the world, with specialized talent, capable of understanding and adapting to the challenges and needs of the world’s main markets. Reservamos SaaS has put experts within reach of Brazilian companies, in order to accelerate their digital innovation, and compete with new business models, focused on online sales.
In this sense, Thiego considers Reservamos SaaS to be a technological ecosystem with the capacity to offer solutions and tools for all types of companies, with a value proposition aimed at accompanying the sector and connecting it with the best opportunities for growth.
To meet the challenges in the bus sector, Thiego believes that two best practices implemented in the airline sector can be taken up again:
- Support from within, with training and support in change management processes and product management. Putting a lot of focus on PMO (Project Management Office) positions, in order to ensure that the technological tools or solutions are working and are in line with the needs of the market and the companies.
- Taking care of customers. Customer Centricity with B2B is needed. Bus companies face challenges to have the best teams to manage technology. With the help of a specialized partner, companies can accelerate their ability to innovate and streamline their implementation processes.
Proposals for Reservamos SaaS
Thiego’s main focus at Reservamos SaaS will be to promote Customer Success, Change Management and digital strategies for the bus industry in Brazil.
In addition to opening spaces for exchange and conversation between the various stakeholders of the companies, to meet their customers, permeate to each area of the bus companies, show the impact and importance of betting on digitization, and generate the best possible service.
The challenges of the sector take a lot of energy from the operators, and all the changes in regulation, customer behavior and the market generate the need for a very big focus on their core business. As a change agent, we can bring a granular technology strategy, so that stakeholders know that they have access to one of the best technologies globally, for a sector that for many years has been facing broad and structural challenges. Explain to them that technology is at the service of business strategy, an expertise with which we can support them. -Thiego Paes, Country Manager for Brazil at Reservamos SaaS.
Thiego’s main proposal is to enable them to understand the 360° impact of technology in cost savings, profit increase and efficiency in all areas. They should know how the technology offered by Reservamos SaaS generates a unique impact on the future of their business. Therefore, he wants conversations with potential partners to be focused not on how a product works, but on how a solution from this technological ecosystem could change their business forever.
What I can contribute from the first minute is to support our partners so that they have a comprehensive vision of how a market analysis product, together with customized analysis of their customers, enables them to make operational decisions with cost savings, beyond channel efficiency. As well as keeping their customers loyal with a simple and customized AI experience, developed in the best technology centers in the world. And that all of this is accessible through the Reservamos SaaS ecosystem. -Thiego Paes, Country Manager for Brazil at Reservamos SaaS.
Thiego highlights the relevance of exchanging best practices and sharing the positive impact experienced by the main bus companies in the region, which today consider Reservamos SaaS their strategic ally, and demonstrating through success stories how the digital evolution of the bus sector is being driven.
At Reservamos SaaS we have a lot of technology. I think that positioning ourselves as an agent of change in the transportation segment is a goal I will be committed to in the coming years. -Thiego Paes, Country Manager for Brazil at Reservamos SaaS.
At Reservamos SaaS, we remain committed to strengthening ties with companies in the sector in Brazil by expanding and strengthening our team and implementing a service and support structure that benefits our partners. In addition, we keep our eyes on new countries and continents, following our global growth plan.
We are confident that, with Thiego’s extensive experience and innovative vision, we will successfully lead new initiatives that will drive growth and technological evolution in the bus sector in Brazil. We are excited about the future that lies ahead and are confident that, hand in hand with our partners and allies, we will achieve great milestones in this important industry.
The incorporation of Thiego Paes as Country Manager for Brazil at Reservamos SaaS marks an important step in strengthening our presence in the country, and reaffirms our commitment to the digital evolution of the bus sector worldwide.
by Marisol Morelos | Apr 16, 2024 | Revenue Management
At Reservamos SaaS, we have developed specialized technology focused on maximizing the revenue of each partner company and increasing the demand for digital tickets, with the help of our Revenue Management system.
The main objectives for any company are to increase revenue, reduce costs, and maximize profitability. This happens regardless of the sector, as in the ground passenger transportation industry.
But is it possible to create a perfect strategy to achieve this goal within bus companies? With that goal in mind, at Reservamos SaaS we developed a solution that would give companies all the information, visibility, and operational capabilities needed to achieve business success.
In our day-to-day work with bus companies, we noticed a lack of specialized Revenue Management tools for this sector. That is why we decided to create BrainPROS, a Revenue Management system that gives precise and agile answers to the questions that companies have about their markets, helping to strengthen their performance and the automation of processes and operations.
Mitl García Martínez, Revenue Management Consultant for Reservamos SaaS, comments in an interview that revenue management is applied in various industries, but is best known in the aviation and hotel sectors, which are pioneers in starting to move their prices according to demand, supply, and seasons.
For example, when you buy a flight you are not aware of the full price. Today you see one price, tomorrow another, and so on. In buses, it is always very clear what the full price is, and from there the discount. In the case of buses, it is very normal for the traveler to look at the discount percentage and how much money is saved. It is a different customer. The airline customer is looking for the cheapest price, and from there, he generates his travel dates. When you travel by bus, you already have the date and you only consult schedules, to choose the cheapest within that day. –Mitl García Martínez, Revenue Management Consultant for Reservamos SaaS.
But first let’s look at the implementation of Revenue Management in the bus sector, as well as its main benefits and challenges, to understand what good revenue management looks like and how we boost it through Reservamos SaaS technology.
What is Revenue Management?
Revenue Management, also known as revenue management or demand management, is a business strategy that focuses on maximizing revenue from the sale of products or services. This discipline is commonly used in industries such as hotels, aviation, transportation, hospitality, and entertainment.
Simply put, Revenue Management involves adjusting the pricing, availability, and distribution of a company’s products or services to maximize revenue. It involves understanding market demand, forecasting buying behavior, and making strategic decisions about available supply and pricing at different times and in different sales channels.
Revenue Management uses data analysis, statistical modeling, and optimization techniques to help companies make informed decisions about pricing and capacity management. The goal is to sell the right amount of products or services, at the right price, at the right time, to maximize revenue and profitability.
In the bus sector, Mitl exemplifies that for a single bus, there can be different types of travelers, for example, people traveling for work with expenses covered by their companies, and therefore, price is not important to them. Some need to travel due to an unforeseen circumstance and price is not so important either. However, travelers going on vacation, who plan their trip and care about saving money.
There may be many different factors in which the customer has a different need to spend or not to spend. This is where this part of Revenue Management comes in, which means trying to give them the price they need. -Mitl García Martínez, Revenue Management Consultant for Reservamos SaaS.
If a bus company, according to Mitl, offers 1,000, 800, 600, and one or two 500 Mexican pesos tickets, it’s going to bring in 20 or 25 passengers. It’s probably not going to generate double the revenue, but it’s going to achieve 10% or 15% more revenue than it would have brought in with a flat strategy where all tickets were set at the same high price. Mitl believes it is important to understand the types of passengers that exist, to know what incentive to give to each one, as well as to take advantage of those who are willing to pay full price in the face of high demand.
How Reservamos SaaS drives Revenue Management?
At Reservamos SaaS we developed BrainPROS, a Revenue Management system, with data science, for the bus sector. This system has 5 modules that provide: monitoring and analysis information on market behavior; intelligent alerts on variations in market supply; indicators to measure the performance of your strategies; and intelligent pricing recommendations to optimize revenue.
For Mitl, one of the great advantages of BrainPROS is that companies do not require their Revenue Management team to adopt it. BrainPROS is easy to use and the team behind the solution adapts to each company; to provide full support in the development of strategies, as well as consulting for those who have more robust revenue management teams.
In Reservamos SaaS, the main intention is, on the one hand, to increase the revenue of our partners and, on the other, to maximize demand, so that when you lower the price of some tickets, this does not affect the profitability of the bus. -Mitl García Martínez, Revenue Management Consultant for Reservamos SaaS.
The Reservamos SaaS ally that has had the greatest impact, according to Mitl, is Roll&Bits, a 100% digital ground transportation company that has focused on digital travelers since 2009. Last year alone it managed to maximize its revenue and achieve a 41% increase in total revenue.
It is very important to constantly monitor the indicators to know if the strategies are working or not. The average ticket is often not enough. You have to look at other factors such as the number of trips, tickets, and outflows; and from there, you get a metric and a clear answer as to whether it is working or not. You have to weigh different metrics and give them the weight that corresponds to each one to take action. With Roll&Bits this part has been very easy. They have had between 2022 and 2023 an 80% year-over-year growth. -Mitl García Martínez, Revenue Management Consultant for Reservamos SaaS.
Challenges to implementing a Revenue Management Strategy
One of the main challenges for bus companies to adopt Revenue Management strategies, according to Mitl, is to change the idea that offering discounts is synonymous with giving away free bus trips. On the contrary, understand that lowering the price of a bus ticket is a smarter way to sell by knowing how to give the right price to travelers.
Giving the right price implies understanding peak seasons or days of excessive demand, and establishing a strategy based on that. Some days are blackout days and we know that the whole bus will be full. On those days we try to minimize discounts, whether they are at 0 or a maximum of 15% on two or three tickets, to incentivize passengers who anticipate their trip. -Mitl García Martínez, Revenue Management Consultant for Reservamos SaaS.
Mitl, according to her experience, shares that the companies that dare to do something different and give more aggressive discounts are the ones that are doing better. Such is the case of Roll&Bits, which is growing in a favorable way, where Revenue Management is not the only factor, but it does play a very important role in the company’s growth.
There are many companies in many industries that do Revenue Management. Movie theaters have been doing it for many years. Any seasonal sale in department stores also includes Revenue Management, because you are playing with an inventory that you have there with which you can generate demand from customers who would not usually buy it. That kind of strategy is also Pricing and it is Revenue Management. You’re not going to know if it works until you test it.
For Mitl, the best incentive for bus companies that have not yet tried this type of strategy is to invite them to take a calculated risk so that they can perceive the difference between selling flat and selling smart through historical information. In addition to reminding them that this type of strategy is accompanied by analysis and trends, advice, and a smart solution that minimizes these risks.
Taking risks is important, but always take calculated risks and not just risks for the sake of it. For example, with partner companies that are still discovering and learning about Revenue Management, we have been able to test dynamic pricing strategies on routes with low demand, knowing that we can stop them at any time if they do not work. This flexibility of BrainPROS allows us to transmit security to the companies. The idea is to accompany them in this ‘risk’, to test and show them that they have a huge opportunity for growth. -Mitl García Martínez, Revenue Management Consultant for Reservamos SaaS.
by Marisol Morelos | Apr 12, 2024 | eCommerce
Discover how Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing the travel industry: optimizing experiences, anticipating needs, and increasing efficiency.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming the global travel industry by providing innovative solutions that improve the user experience, optimize operations, and increase business efficiency.
AI impacts travel, with customer service center efficiency being the most widely reported benefit. By next year, it is expected to influence the industry significantly. The most visible applications (new search, shopping, and booking options) will garner much of the attention, according to a study by Deloitte.
So-called generative AI is impacting this industry the most. This type of AI helps to understand the user, i.e. truly, it can understand the user at the language level.
For example, generative AI can understand what the user wants, and go beyond that, by anticipating what the person wants to book or the tickets they are looking to buy online, by knowing the routes the user uses the most. That is, it can recreate a personalization experience you normally get in a conversation with a person.
This 2024, according to the report conducted by Deloitte, is expected to be an exciting year for AI applications in travel, and the first game-changing integrations will begin to be developed.
How does Generative AI work?
We know that generative AI is making a major impact on the travel industry, but how does it work? Here we explain in more detail what this type of technology is all about.
Generative AI is a type of artificial intelligence that can produce various types of content, such as text, images, audio, and synthetic data, according to George Lawton, from the specialized portal TechTarget.
The recent boom in generative AI is due to the simplicity of new user interfaces for creating high-quality text, graphics, and video in a matter of seconds.
Lawton explains that generative AI is not a new technology; it was introduced in the 1960s in chatbots. But it wasn’t until 2014, with the introduction of generative adversarial networks (GANs), a type of machine learning algorithm, that generative AI was able to create compelling images, videos, and audio of real people.
How is AI being applied in the travel industry?
Airlines, bus companies, and hotel service providers know they have to improve the experience they offer or risk losing travelers. This means an investment in technology and an urgency to understand how generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) can improve the traveler experience.
In addition to focusing on operational efficiency, leading travel providers are expected to take more visible steps to improve end-to-end travel. Below we share with you the measures that will be taken, according to the study conducted by Deloitte:
- More automated digital features in the app to address common friction points.
- Traveler-specific services and enhancements through loyalty rewards and attractive personalized offers.
- Increased investment in equipment, including offering to keep up with advances in traveler technology.
- Continued innovations in attribute selling, and bundling. In addition to improving their products, travel industry companies are likely to redouble their efforts to connect guests with great experiences beyond rooms, coaches, and airplanes.
For a better understanding of how AI has its main applications in the sector, we will explain three of its applications and benefits for the travel industry.
Inventory and Capacity Management
AI helps optimize inventory management of flights, hotel rooms, and other services, ensuring better utilization of resources and minimizing overcapacity.
Personalization in travel recommendation
Personalization with AI in travel recommendation is based on the use of algorithms and artificial intelligence techniques to analyze large amounts of data about users’ preferences, behaviors, and travel patterns.
These algorithms can examine data such as search history, previous bookings, social media interactions, and other relevant factors.
Predictive Analytics
By using AI, companies can forecast future trends, destination demand, changes in consumer behavior, and other key factors to make informed, strategic decisions.
Reservamos SaaS Platform AI
Reservamos SaaS developed a technology called Platform AI, which adapts to eCommerce bus companies.
To enable these capabilities it was necessary to collect traveler interactions in eCommerce, enhance them with our technology, and store them in ReservamosONE, which not only acts as a powerful business intelligence system but is also crucial for optimal experience personalization and revenue management.
Special features of the first releases available in Platform AI are:
- Source and destination prefill
- Source and Destination Switching
- Calendar optimization – Select today or tomorrow
- Search-oriented behavior
If you are a bus company interested in taking advantage of technology trends, don’t hesitate to look for a specialized technology partner such as Reservamos SaaS. Our experience in the sector has allowed us to work with companies in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and Chile.
by Marisol Morelos | Apr 11, 2024 | Apps, eCommerce
In an interview, Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA, shares with us the importance of implementing a mobile-first strategy in a bus company.
Nowadays it is unthinkable that a company that offers services or products does not consider the digital channel as a way to reach more customers. Especially when considering that consumer habits have changed, i.e., people are increasingly using mobile devices to perform various activities in their purchasing processes; from analyzing prices, benefits and disadvantages of a product, reviewing opinions, location of points of sale, consuming news, communicating with a brand, making reservations, entering social networks, and even buying a bus ticket to travel, avoiding lines at terminals.
According to Statista data, eCommerce is one of the uses of mobile devices that is experiencing a boom in recent years in Mexico.
In this regard, Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA, comments on the importance of bus companies thinking about a mobile-first strategy. Grupo IAMSA is the holding company of well-known passenger transportation companies such as ETN-Turistar Lujo and Costa Line, and has established administrative synergies with major groups like GHO, which owns brands such as Autovías and La Línea.
Any company that today sells on the Internet, if you check your Google analytics, you will notice how desktop starts to have a tendency to decrease and everything related to web mobile starts to grow. -Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA
Pablo shares that nowadays people don’t want to fill out a form every time they buy a bus ticket. He believes that they have become accustomed to what other pioneering eCommerce brands have developed; for example, Amazon, a company that developed one-click online shopping.
What people are looking for is to select a product and click on checkout without having to enter so much data. This is something that the app allows you to do because we already know who you are, it is already predefined so that the autofilling can be done. – Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA.
Importance of having mobile apps in a bus company
According to Pablo, Grupo IAMSA had two applications that had been developed by a third party and represented 2% of total sales. However, they decided to simplify and unify all their applications with Reservamos SaaS technology and design.
We were able to obtain an immediate benefit, where we reached between 4% and 5% of the total share of sales. This implies that we were migrating people who normally consumed through a web page. – Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA.
After the implementation of Reservamos SaaS technology, according to Pablo, they carried out an aggressive campaign to encourage the downloading of applications with a significant investment in app stores. All these efforts resulted in the fact that today apps, depending on the month, represent between 10% and 12% of total sales.
I estimate that in percentage points of total sales we have gained 5% through apps alone. Although it is important to understand that these apps behave differently in each company. In ETN the impact is 5% in total numbers of higher traffic. But we noticed that in companies like Costa Line and Autovías, which have their own apps and are a different market segment than ETN, the adoption of the app is much higher, but not the sales, because they are companies with the cheapest ticket and have different routes. – Pablo Bianchi, corporate marketing director for Grupo IAMSA.
Although they speak to different segments, Pablo says they have learned that people are starting to use their cell phones more for shopping, selling or communicating. They have realized that the mobile device, especially in segments C, C- and sometimes D, is their window of communication.
What we learn is to be very close to what the customer is using as a tool to communicate. –Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA.
The main benefits of the implementation of apps, according to Pablo, is that it allows them to have greater knowledge of the traveler, direct communication through push notifications and greater segmentation with consumer habits.
We have a strategy to migrate as much as we can from travelers to a digital shopping culture. We have learned that the more possibilities you give a person to buy in digital media, which are easy to use, you will gain a customer who will be more loyal to you. To this we always add a pricing scheme, a loyalty program and a continuous communication theme. – Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA.
By 2022, more than 79% of the Mexican population over six years of age are users of a smart phone or smartphone. Compared to 2015, the penetration rate of cell phones has increased 7.7 percentage points in the Mexican population, according to Statista data.
Marketing automation strategies with the help of ReservamosONE
Pablo says that knowing the traveler and having a better segmentation are key elements for the development of marketing automation strategies. That is why they have decided to add another Reservamos SaaS solution to facilitate this process. This is ReservamosONE, a data source that contains complete information on travelers and all their activity in the different sales channels.
The benefits of having this integrated intelligent database can be summarized as follows:
- Knowing the traveler.
- Offering a consistent experience.
- Optimize customer service.
- Improve growth strategies.
ReservamosONE allows us to have a single source of information that is transparent, without me having to do too many interfaces to get the fields I need in terms of customer behavior. For example, where in the funnel they stayed, how many times they have bought from me, data on when their birthday is, or travel references. – Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA.
Grupo IAMSA opted for ReservamosONE because they have faced integration complications between marketing automation tools with existing platforms. That is why they decided to work with this Reservamos SaaS solution.
We are exploring migrating the CRM platform to a CDP that Google has that allows us to use ReservamosONE. We will put a filter with Google Analytics to start working with AI and my database combined with the universe of data that Google has. – Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA
Knowing your customer and their consumption habits to generate strategies
Based on Pablo’s experience, he explains that it is essential to know who your customer is, how often he travels, where he usually travels, how often he buys and whether he travels alone or accompanied. He believes that the best tool to identify them has been the loyalty program, because that way they know who is really buying and who are the passengers who travel.
The important thing is always to have an identifier number to communicate, whether it is a cell phone or email that allows us to have that communication, to segment them in whether they are frequent or not, if they travel because they are students, if they are looking for a discount, if they travel with a pet, etc. These types of behaviors are what we are measuring. These types of behaviors are what we are measuring, and we are looking for this to end up in an AI that learns the behaviors and we reach a hyper-personalization of the traveler. –Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA.
What is expected in terms of innovation in the bus transportation sector?
For Pablo, innovation in the bus transportation sector should be focused on the experience provided to the traveler. Above all, making the process of buying a ticket, boarding and traveling fast, easy and frictionless. Passengers should not have to waste time waiting in line.
The innovation has to be in making the passenger’s trip digital and automated. That is to say, that the sales areas instead of selling them a ticket become service areas so that they are attentive so that passengers have a pleasant trip. – Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Marketing Director for Grupo IAMSA.
Pablo is working together with his operational team and the guidance of Reservamos SaaS to realize a vision he has of the experience a bus traveler should receive, where the traveler enters a terminal with a QR code, goes to a waiting room where they receive individual entertainment to enjoy on a device, while waiting to board, and finally board a bus with the QR code. In addition to being in control of your device, knowing how long the trip will take, and even sharing the ride with family or friends.
To have the experience that some platforms taught us, where what we want is to know when, how and where. – Pablo Bianchi, Corporate Director of Marketing for Grupo IAMSA.
