You are viewing an old revision of this post, from 16 December, 2011 @ 10:29. See below for differences between this version and the current revision.
Straight out of… Costa Rica… TripFab is a new startup promising to make some waves in the travel industry. Their first promotional video (below) gives you a rundown of the general aim of the site. Effectively they want to cut out the middle man, by becoming the middle man. The difference is they don’t want to charge people (or suppliers) for using their service. An interesting business model, to say the least.
TripFab Supplier Promotion
The video is interesting, if for no other reason than that the company’s marketing strategy seems to be to antagonise every existing person in the industry that they’re trying to break into. Launching a direct attack on TravelZoo, Expedia, Viator and Expedia amongst others – TripFab promise that the entire industry is going to “shit its pants”. Overlooking the questionable issue of whether or not an industry has pants, setting the bar this high could prove problematic later on. These types of claims sometimes make people less willing to be impressed when they eventually do get to see what the service is.
The marketing seems to be typical of the company culture, which in most cases is set by the founder. TripFab founder Michael De La Rosa responded on the company’s blog, for example, to a quote by Michael Arrington (TechCrunch) about the importance of having a support network as an entrepreneur…
Oh please. Yes, starting a company can be lonely. Of course there are tough times. And maybe people think you’re crazy for doing it? I wouldn’t know – I just don’t give a shit about what those people are like – I don’t have any of those close to me in my life…by choice.
Seriously, if you need an investors support and someone to coddle you – you really need to get off the bitch train and find another occupation.
This style might appeal to some… but it’s likely to alienate quite a few, too.
TripFab Preview
TripFab have released an early preview of the service in action, which actually looks pretty tasty. The design is certainly top quality, and the concept seems to have merit – with a lot of well thought out features that will be useful to suppliers as well as end-users. These are both critically important, as the concept of “cutting out the middle man” is really only benefitting the suppliers bottom line – and for the suppliers, 80% of something is better than 100% of nothing. Features that make the service a pleasure to use and attract a strong user-base will likely be paramount to the company’s success.
You can find out more about TripFab on their blog, or subscribe for an update on when they’re launching on the main site.
What do you think of the concept? Would you use this type of service to book your travels?
Post Revisions:
- 8 August, 2012 @ 8:28 [Current Revision] by John O'Nolan
- 16 December, 2011 @ 16:47 by John O'Nolan
- 16 December, 2011 @ 11:13 by John O'Nolan
- 16 December, 2011 @ 10:29 by John O'Nolan
Changes:
| 16 December, 2011 @ 10:29 | Current Revision | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Content | |||
| [kicker]What if you could book a trip, or even an entire holiday, in a single place... without paying any commission to an agent or booking service?[/kicker] | [kicker]What if you could book a trip, or even an entire holiday, in a single place... without paying any commission to an agent or booking service?[/kicker] | ||
| [dropcap]S[/dropcap]traight out of... Costa Rica... <a href="http:// tripfab.com/" >TripFab</a> is a new startup promising to make some waves in the travel industry. Their first promotional video (below) gives you a rundown of the general aim of the site. Effectively they want to cut out the middle man, by becoming the middle man. The difference is they don't want to charge people (or suppliers) for using their service. An interesting business model, to say the least. | [dropcap]S[/dropcap]traight out of... Costa Rica... <a href="http:// tripfab.com/" >TripFab</a> is a new startup promising to make some waves in the travel industry. Their first promotional video (below) gives you a rundown of the general aim of the site. Effectively they want to cut out the middle man, by becoming the middle man. The difference is they don't want to charge people (or suppliers) for using their service. An interesting business model, to say the least. | ||
| <h2>TripFab Supplier Promotion</h2> | <h2>TripFab Supplier Promotion</h2> | ||
| [vimeo width="642" height="360"]http: //vimeo.com/31072654[/vimeo] | [vimeo width="642" height="360"]http: //vimeo.com/31072654[/vimeo] | ||
| - | [runin]The video is interesting, if for no other reason than that the company's marketing strategy seems to be to antagonise every existing person in the industry that they're trying to break into.[/runin] Launching a direct attack on TravelZoo, | + | [runin]The video is interesting, if for no other reason than that the company's marketing strategy seems to be to antagonise every existing person in the industry that they're trying to break into.[/runin] Launching a direct attack on TravelZoo, TripAdvisor, Viator and Expedia amongst others - TripFab promise that the entire industry is going to "shit its pants". Overlooking the questionable issue of whether or not an industry <em>has</em> pants, setting the bar this high could prove problematic later on. These types of claims sometimes make people less willing to be impressed when they eventually do get to see what the service is. |
| - | The marketing seems to be typical of the company culture, which in most cases is set by the founder. TripFab founder Michael | + | The marketing seems to be typical of the company culture, which in most cases is set by the founder. TripFab founder Michael La Rosa responded on the company's blog, for example, to a quote by Michael Arrington (TechCrunch) about the importance of having a support network as an entrepreneur... |
| <blockquote>Oh please. Yes, starting a company can be lonely. Of course there are tough times. And maybe people think you’re crazy for doing it? I wouldn’t know – I just don’t give a shit about what those people are like – I don’t have any of those close to me in my life…by choice. | <blockquote>Oh please. Yes, starting a company can be lonely. Of course there are tough times. And maybe people think you’re crazy for doing it? I wouldn’t know – I just don’t give a shit about what those people are like – I don’t have any of those close to me in my life…by choice. | ||
| Seriously, if you need an investors support and someone to coddle you – you really need to get off the bitch train and find another occupation.</blockquote> | Seriously, if you need an investors support and someone to coddle you – you really need to get off the bitch train and find another occupation.</blockquote> | ||
| This style might appeal to some... but it's likely to alienate quite a few, too. | This style might appeal to some... but it's likely to alienate quite a few, too. | ||
| <h2>TripFab Preview</h2> | <h2>TripFab Preview</h2> | ||
| [youtube width="642" height="420"]http: //www.youtube.com/watch?v= 2TWJoF4nPbU[/youtube] | [youtube width="642" height="420"]http: //www.youtube.com/watch?v= 2TWJoF4nPbU[/youtube] | ||
| [runin]TripFab have released an early preview of the service in action, which actually looks pretty tasty.[/runin] The design is certainly top quality, and the concept seems to have merit - with a lot of well thought out features that will be useful to suppliers as well as end-users. These are both critically important, as the concept of "cutting out the middle man" is really only benefitting the suppliers bottom line - and for the suppliers, 80% of something is better than 100% of nothing. Features that make the service a pleasure to use and attract a strong user-base will likely be paramount to the company's success. | [runin]TripFab have released an early preview of the service in action, which actually looks pretty tasty.[/runin] The design is certainly top quality, and the concept seems to have merit - with a lot of well thought out features that will be useful to suppliers as well as end-users. These are both critically important, as the concept of "cutting out the middle man" is really only benefitting the suppliers bottom line - and for the suppliers, 80% of something is better than 100% of nothing. Features that make the service a pleasure to use and attract a strong user-base will likely be paramount to the company's success. | ||
| You can find out more about TripFab on their <a href="http:// blog.tripfab.com/">blog</a>, or subscribe for an update on when they're launching on the <a href="http:// tripfab.com/">main site</a>. | You can find out more about TripFab on their <a href="http:// blog.tripfab.com/">blog</a>, or subscribe for an update on when they're launching on the <a href="http:// tripfab.com/">main site</a>. | ||
| <strong>What do you think of the concept? Would you use this type of service to book your travels?</strong> | <strong>What do you think of the concept? Would you use this type of service to book your travels?</strong> | ||
Note: Spaces may be added to comparison text to allow better line wrapping.
1) We’re told that Tripfab is going to eliminate middlemen. But isn’t Tripfab a middleman?
2) There are plenty of e-commerce sites that offer tours, activities, hotel rooms, etc. From the traveler’s perspective (not from the supplier’s perspective), how does Tripfab differ from those existing sites?
3) How does Tripfab plan to lure millions of travelers onto its site?
4) The notion of an e-commerce site serving as a one-stop planning and shopping portal for travelers is sooooo 1990s. (Remember when Expedia and Travelocity tried to become travel portals with their “Destination Guides”?)
Yeah, I mentioned
I would imagine they want to attract lots of users by using technology properly, along with great design. Just like foursquare/Spotify/Instagram/Path. None of the big travel booking sites are doing that so far.
I don’t know if the concept is that far off – fundamentally people want less hassle and less expenditure – and they’re willing to make compromises on pretty much everything else. It wasn’t possible for a site to do in the 90′s what a site can do now.
John,
Thanks for the post. Good research, and kudos for finding our videos.
Really appreciate the support.
- Mike
Hey Michael,
No problem – really looking forward to seeing what you guys come out with. I think you should give your designer a raise, too, he (or she) is really very good.
“3) How does Tripfab plan to lure millions of travelers onto its site?”
That’s the challenge everyone in the travel vertical struggles with…and no one has figured out. Marketing to B2C is really damn expensive/time intensive.