The new online marketplace for niche operators

Niche tour operators are shaking up the big boys but struggle to compete when it comes to marketing and promotion.

That’s where smart data comes into play, helping them read the minds of their potential clients.

Online marketplace lots:op was designed with companies to match the interests of its members with the experiences and opportunities of its partner companies.

By harnessing the power of data, niche travel companies can match their products with key metrics taken from potential customers.

Almost like a dating algorithm, a member’s interests, age, location and qualifications are overlayed against the specific travel product provided by a member to create a “perfect match”.

When a travel seeker searches for relevant opportunities, the algorithm works much like a Google search, bringing up the most relevant opportunities for that particular person, and then it’s love at first sight.

And to up the convenience factor, lots:op manages the payment process on their site using a payment gateway so everything can be done in the one place and members don’t need to manage anything separately.

This recommendation technology allows niche travel companies to get their brand in front of potential customers who have already indicated an interest in what they’re offering – but haven’t heard of the company.

Health and Fitness Travel, a luxury wellness travel company specialising in health holidays, has a very specific target audience, and the process of finding right customers can be extremely challenging.

“As a new brand in Australia with quite a niche product, finding and connecting with the subset of people looking specifically for wellness travel opportunities can be quite difficult,” managing director Samantha Lippiatt said.

“Driving traffic to the website is always the biggest challenge for an online brand and often people aren’t aware wellness travel is a holiday option.”

Lots:op’s founder and managing director Nathan Sri said it the matchmaking game is a tricky one to master.

“Many travel operators find it difficult to not only find people, but find the right people for the particularly opportunity they wish to fill, which creates a drain on their often limited resources,” Sri said.

“lots:op uses a unique system to match customers with relevant opportunities based on a number of metrics including demographic, interests and location. This allows companies to broaden their audience by reaching people who may never have heard of them but share an interest in the experiences they are offering.”

“Partner companies are also provided with a unique customer relationship management system which allows them to manage their opportunities and members in one location.”

Sri added that there was a gap in the realm in which niche companies operated in, and felt it was about time someone filled it.

“I felt there was an opportunity in the market for a website that brings the many life-enriching experiences from around to world together in one place, connecting those people looking for such experiences with local and global providers,” he said.

“lots:op provides a cost and time effective solution for local and global providers to find customers from around the world.”

lots:op now has over 100 partners and around 30% of these are travel-specific.

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Email the Travel Weekly team at traveldesk@travelweekly.com.au

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