Telecom giant Airtel, which had integrated cab booking services through Ola, payments via Bhim UPI, and train booking from IRCTC within its Airtel Thanks app, has added the OYO app for hotel booking. Offering multiple services from a single app rather than a single-function app reflects businesses’ strategy to become super apps. Flipkart, Paytm, PhonePe, Amazon, WeChat, and Truecaller are among many digital-focused companies in India and outside the country, and they are starting to offer multiple offerings via their platform.
The partnership is a win-win for Airtel and OYO. Airtel can enhance its user engagement rate on its app and transactions via payments back, and OYO gets “to reach the millions of Airtel Customers,” said Burhanuddin Pithawala, Vice President, Conversions, OYO Hotels & Homes.
“The super app phenomenon started with WeChat in China, so Indian apps are also building their services in that direction, but they aren’t there yet. Super apps need to have high density in their platforms to fulfill customers’ day-to-day needs such as transportation and food,” Brij Bhasin, General Partner at Japan-based VC fund Rebright Partners, told Financial Express Online. Interestingly, users can pay the full amount for booking upfront or Rs 1 for booking and the rest later, the company said in a statement. The tie-up will add to the “digital services and offers, including insurance and content” on the app, said Varun Das, Vice President – Product, Bharti Airtel.
Moreover, users could avail themselves of offers on the standalone OYO app via the Airtel app. However, they can get 60 percent off bookings via Airtel Payments Bank until June 15, 2019. Turning Super app aims to gain a higher wallet share of customers instead of letting them go to other apps. The trend is still early in India, as integrating discovery and intuitiveness for different services is not seamless. We need to get various apps. So companies need to improve the discovery of such services, added Bhasin.
The internet has seen a revolution in hotel booking services. Online hotel bookings can make planning your business trip, vacation, or weekend away easier and more affordable. Online hotel bookings make it easy to select a suitable hotel and are ideal for both the customer and the hotel management. While locating and selecting a hotel far away from home once required effort, the internet has dramatically simplified that process with online hotel bookings. Online hotel bookings enable you to choose a hotel with the desired features, whether you need a simple and affordable place to stay or a luxurious retreat from day-to-day life.
It is now possible to find a hotel and book within minutes any time of the day – from anywhere in the world. Convenience is one of the most significant benefits of online hotel bookings. Browse hotels in the area you require at your leisure, comparing features and rates easily. When you have chosen the hotel you prefer, complete your booking online conveniently. Many hotels even allow same-day online hotel bookings, which is great for that last-minute weekend away, for example, taking in a show in the West End of London.
