Agency Dials Up Mobile for Sales Growth
by Judy Jacobs /Applying mobile technology will not only put agencies on the cutting edge but can help them increase their bottom line. Just ask Uf Tukel, co-founder and president of WMPH Vacations, a West Palm Beach, Fla., agency that specializes in cruises.
The agency, which Tukel founded with his friend Don Walker in the 1990s with a handful of employees, now has 100 employees and does about $70 million in annual sales.
WMPH Vacations, a member of Signature Travel Network, sells travel under a number of brands, including: iCruise.com, CruiseCheap.com, AlaskaCruises.com, HawaiiCruises.com, EuropeCruises.com and the soon-to-launch RiverCruiseDeals.com brands.
Like many entrepreneurs, Tukel and Walker had a bit of luck. “We bought the iCruise brand (in 2007) before Apple launched the iPhone. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect,” Tukel said.
Move into mobile
With a hot brand name in hand, the next step was to move into mobile. “I started playing with an iPhone and realized there was no cruise app. We decided to build an iPhone app for iCruise just so we could say we had an app. We launched in 2009 and honestly didn’t think we’d get any business from it,” he said.
A year later the company created an iCruise app for the android and Kindle, and now about 50% of the company’s leads come as a result of its mobile strategy and app, of which more than a half million have been downloaded so far.
In spite of its technological capabilities, only about 20% of the agency’s bookings are online, according to Tukel. The rest come over the phone with his agents, who can provide the level of service that clients still require.
Start with mobile site
For other agents who are planning to go mobile, Tukel advised: “Start with a mobile site first, then an app. It takes more money to develop an app. It takes more specialized skills. A mobile website is just a website optimized for a smaller browser and can be turned around much more quickly than an app can.”
WMPH Vacations contracted with a company to do the front-end development for its app, but 75% of its app development is done in-house, primarily because of the developer’s need to access databases, content, photos and itineraries.
The company has used Revelex, which offers a customizable booking solution, as a booking engine since it started in 2004.
Advantages as sales tool
While the biggest challenge with mobile is trying to think of all the applications, there are many advantages to using that technology as a sales tool.
“What I like is it takes away all the distractions in a booking. You don’t see all the advertising and banner ads. There’s not a lot of noise to distract you from what your goal is. If you want to go on a cruise, we take you down that path,” he said.
What’s next
What’s next for mobile? “We have to take a look at using natural language search, doing voice-activated cruise searches with Google Voice and Siri,” Tukel said.
“The other thing is to look at the implications of location-based services. How can you use mobile for finding activities while you’re on your on vacation or share what you’re doing through Facebook and Twitter?”
What’s next for WMPH Vacations is to make complex travel purchases easier on mobile. They’re looking at more and more packages. While 15% of the company business is package products consisting of a cruise with a hotel or other product, it’s a part of the business they plan to grow aggressively in the next two years.
Websites for cruise niches
WMPH is also building a website dedicated to river cruises, which Tukel said they’ll launch in first quarter 2013 to capture more of the fastest growing segment of the cruise industry. It’s also creating adventure cruise and luxury cruise websites.
Having separate websites for each cruise niche helps increase conversion rates and helps them establish credibility and trust among consumers, Tukel said.
Another area where WMPH Vacations is concentrating is the group business. Although 95% of the company’s business is FIT, it is making serious investments in growing its group business and developing online tools for groups and group leaders.
Overall, Tukel and his partner Walker are optimistic about 2013. “The lead counts we’re seeing are through the roof right now. We’re hoping for 15% to 20% increase next year,” he said.
“We’re also going to see a better year for Europe and are putting a bigger emphasis on Europe with our river cruise website.”