TravelMole Q&A with Travelsupermarket.com director Chris Nixon

Continuing our regular series, Linda Fox quizzes travelsupermarket.com director Chris Nixon on the price comparison market.

Q: How does price comparison work?

A: We go out to the providers live so the price you see should be the one you get. All we are doing is shortening the journey for the user. We’re not a travel agent and never intended to be one. There are two sides to the coin – the supplier and the consumer and we’re trying to bring them together. Rates change all the time and we are like a portal where you come to find information, which is accurate and up-to-date. Consumers never book with us. They enter their search information and then check our database of existing suppliers and then use XML as well as screen-scraping technology to grab ‘live’ prices.

Q: Is price comparison always about finding the lowest price?

A: There is a common misconception that it is all about price but the real thing is the value element. People want to see what is available in the market place. The real time element is also important. A lot of sites show ‘from’ prices and then taxes and service charges are added on but travelsupermarket.com is about comparing like with like and it is about showing the final price. The customer gets the best value for what they are looking for and that is not necessarily the cheapest.  Consumers just want to know what is out there and whether it is worth it.

Q: Given their initial reluctance are suppliers now looking more favourably on price comparison/metasearch sites such as travelsupermarket.com?

A: We like to think of both consumers and suppliers as equally important. If a consumer comes to our site, fills in their information, waits for the results to come back and then decides to click through to the supplier, the conversion will be high. Suppliers want volume and conversion so we deliver to both sides.  We work on a cost per click basis and that is building over time. The market is growing as well and we’re struggling to keep up with demand. But, it is very difficult because of the confusion about who we are, what we offer and how it works. There are a lot of stumbling blocks.

Q: What is it like trying to build a brand in such a crowded market place?

A: Metasearch is this thing that has suddenly appeared but we have been doing this for five years. We’re not interested in a big brand. We’re about driving customers to our site so they can then go to the suppliers and get what they want. The internet is growing at an enormous pace. It’s more accessible and cheaper because of broadband and can be accessed via the television, a wireless network and mobile devices. It’s almost like a television now. It’s all about ease and as they use it more people are realising there are all these sites out there but they become boggled. For us it’s more about focusing on the product because if we’re not delivering there is another site just a click away. It’s about making sure the user experience is good.

Q: Is there an opportunity for travel agents get involved in the price comparison market?

A: Our product covers a huge cross-section of travel from online travel agents, no frills, charter operators and scheduled airlines. There is an opportunity for the small travel agents who need to move with the times and rather than seeing it as the devil, it’s a case of how you can get involved with it. We deliver a platform for them to compete if they can’t go on radio and television. We always find a way to get live information from suppliers and we don’t charge development fees.