Purpose of Expedia:Expedia is the world's leading travel network which allows people to do online travel planning instead of going to a tour agency physically and having to follow their planned itinerary. It helps to put the world of travel at your fingertips. The purpose of the website is to provide a full coverage online service for a holiday planner. Expedia also allow more innovative packages where you can choose your own destinations, choice of flight services, date and time of travel, choice of hotel, cars, cruises, activities etc.
Expedia also offers you a wide array of travel services to make planning your trip even easier. It has a wide range of business partners in hand, ranging from airlines companies, cruise, hotels, car rentals companies, local travel agencies, etc. Expedia provides free information about various countries such as USA, Canada, Europe, Asia etc. This allows people to make their decision and do comparisons of prices in the comfort of their home. There is also the availability of map online which allow you to plan your own itinerary.
Features
Business Model:
In Expedia’s merchant business model, Expedia acts as a wholesaler, negotiating prices on inventory with suppliers directly. Strong hotel sales generate good profits, and also indicate the strength of the business model. The business model benefits customers by giving them access to compelling deals they could not get elsewhere, and it helps suppliers achieve their sales and marketing goals. Gross profit per transaction also increases for Expedia.
Basically it uses a B2C transaction broker ecommerce business model. Expedia do not own any of the item (hotel room, airline, cars, etc) that are transacted. It is merely to provide for the coordination between buyers and business partners (hotel, airline, car rental companies). This might suggest that there is a b2b network linkup with its business partners, in the backend, so as to complete its processing requirements.
Payment scheme:
The payment scheme of Expedia involves 2 choices. The first choice is to split the bill in half, or divide the cost of your flight plus hotel trip in another way that suits you. Divide the cost between two credit cards, share the trip cost with your travel companion, there is no extra charges or fees.
The second choice is to make a deposit, and then Expedia will automatically bill your credit card or send you an email reminder when it is time to pay the rest. Log in the price of your trip, & pay the balance 30 days before you leave. There is no interest charges or fees.
How it works:
1. Book your flight + hotel trip*.
2. When you reach the "Billing and delivery information" page, look for the section labelled "Choose a payment option."
3. Choose the option that is best for you: split the cost, or make a deposit.
4. Then just enter your credit card information and get ready to enjoy your trip the flexible, stress-free way.
*Flexible payment options are only available when you book your flight and hotel together. You must book your trip at least 40 days before departure.
Expedia absorbs all credit card fees and it currently accepts Visa, Delta, MasterCard and American Express, although it does not accept payment via Diners card.
When you sign in securely to Expedia, all your transactions are protected by powerful Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption technology and Private Communication Technology (PCT) security standards supported by Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 and higher and other popular browsers.
SSL encrypts your credit card number, name, address, and phone number before they travel over the Internet. This makes doing business over the Internet as secure as purchasing by telephone. If you don't want to send your credit card over the Internet, you have the option to book by phone through an agent.
Key characteristics
Expedia's Expert Searching and Pricing (ESP) technology gives travellers powerful sorting tools, and the flexibility to build their own, customized air and hotel packages at discounted prices. For suppliers, ESP increases the prominence of lodging inventory within the flight search path, providing cross sell opportunities. Additionally, packages hide the prices of individual components, making it easier for suppliers to offer discounted rates while protecting their rate integrity.
Expedia offers a total of 75,000 lodging options across its properties. From specialty lodging, such as villas, condos, vacation homes and bed & breakfasts, to hotel lodging with discounts of up to 70 percent off standard rates. Expedia offers an unprecedented variety of lodging prices and choices around the world. Consumers are increasingly coming to Expedia for its diverse inventory and discounts available through services such as Expedia Packages and Expedia Special Rates.
Complete information on airfares, lodging, car rentals and cruises are also offered on this website. Expedia also provides an integrated view of hotels on a map, and has updated the hotel map service to show hotel availability at a glance.
Expedia uses multiple global distribution systems like the Sabre reservation system for flights and for hotels, Worldspan, and Pegasus along with their own hotel reservation system for their contracted bulk rate reservations which is shared with other Expedia, Inc. sites.
It also serves many different consumer segments from families booking a summer vacation to individuals arranging a quick weekend retreat. Expedia provides travellers with the ability to explore, arrange, and book their comprehensive travel needs. Expedia-branded Web sites feature airline tickets, hotel reservations, car rental, cruises, and many other in-destination services from a broad selection of partners.
Design:
Expedia has a very pleasant website layout, it uses very gentle contrasting colours which does not make the viewers strain their eyes. Expedia has adopted a blue colour scheme for its website to show consistency in the Expedia logo and border background. The layout of every web page is consistent, this is important for the user so that he will not think that he has navigate to other website instead. The font size and colours used also blends well with the white background. Navigation around the website is easy as the headings are shown on every page of the website. Thus, when the reader wants to search for other things, they can just click on the headings at the top of the web page.
An example: Expedia with consistent use of blue colour for its logo and border background, clear navigation headings and search tool:
There are no broken links found and there is a search tool for the user to enter their search easily and effectively. The search results being displayed is also well organised as the title is in blue colour, while the brief information is in black and then the website link is in blue colour again. The design layout and alignment of the website is very well organised and neatly displayed, making full use of the colours. There is also a Customer Support section with a long list of information and at each sub headings, there is a navigation link to 'return to the top'. This is a very useful feature for long list in a web page itself.An example: Search results displayed in blue and black schemes:
An example: Customer Support section in Expedia with "Return to Top" navigation link:
One good point about Expedia is that there is a small graphic accompanied with brief introduction which makes it easier for the reader as the graphic shows what is the information going to be. It makes it easier to search around for details as the reader do not need to read everything, they can look at the graphic first and know where exactly to find the information.
An example of a small graphic accompanied with brief detail:
Expedia allows people to sign in using the Windows Live ID or Hotmail account which is very convenient and easy for users. If the member forget his user name or password, he can just reset his password just by providing the email address. Expedia is also very flexible, it does not force people to sign up as member but instead also allows people to continue as guest in the website and search for information. Therefore, the design layout is very user friendly.An example: Expedia allows Hotmail and Windows Live user to sign in or allow people to remain as Guest:
An example: Expedia allows member who forgets the password to reset it simply:
The website seems to display too many information on each page and that makes user having to decide how to start using Expedia. The colours of the words in the 'Rewards' section and also other 'partner sites' are rather faint which makes the reader not wanting to read further. This is not very helpful as it prevents useful information to be readable. There is also a 'site map' tool which has a small font and is located at the bottom of the homepage which will be gone unnoticed.
An example: Dull colours in Web page that makes reader pay less attention to:
Strengths
The Expedia website is easy to use. It loads quickly, has an easy url, and it is easy on the eyes. It contains clear links for feedback, customer support and company information. Better still, it absorbs all credit card fees.
Expedia covers domains like flights, hotels, car rentals, cruises, maps, corporate travel, maps, etc. The site has an enormous variety of offers, and it is also possible to separate or combined the booking for services. Expedia is also known for the safety of the transactions made on it.
Visitors are allowed to construct their own trips, and the site is well designed. The terminology of Expedia’s navigation is clear to the visitor, such as buttons with simple English like Cars, Vacation packages, cruises, activities and so on. Expedia promises its users an easy access to previously booked and current itineraries. The site’s interface is significantly easier to navigate, and it has special deals provided free (no strings attached) on flights and hotels.
Expedia delivers consumers everything they need for researching, planning, and purchasing a whole trip. Direct access is also provided to one of the broadest selections of travel products and services through its North American Web site, localized versions throughout Europe, and extensive partnerships in Asia. Expedia has some benefits for frequent flyers, offering less common foreign routes, such as within China, and an awards program with no black-out dates.
It is also particularly good at finding package trips or providing extra services such as information on trip delays.
Expedia.com received honours and recognition over the past years, highlighting the travel site's broad appeal and superior customer experience. Some awards include being rated as the number one online travel company in 2007 by Brand Keys, and was also a Webby Award Nominee in the Travel category in 2007, where it honours excellence in Web design, creativity, usability and functionality. It is also recognized in the online travel category and noted for the depth of its hotel content, in Forbes.com “Best of the web” in 2006.
In the American customer satisfaction index e-commerce report in 2006, Expedia.com garnered the highest customer satisfaction ranking among online travel providers. With the Good Housekeeping Web Site Certification Seal on Expedia.com, consumers can trust Expedia offers superior online travel services and the highest quality, most secure purchasing experience.
Weaknesses
It takes too long and too many mouse clicks while finding flights. In addition, trying to save by using their versions of near-by cities is much more difficult than on other sites. Expedia also does a poor job of comparing near-by airports. Shopping time is much faster on Kayak, SideStep & ITASoftware. Expedia also has problems showing flights at the specific times requested.
Travelocity has a faster speed of search results for flights, hotel bookings and the like. According to reviews, Kayak.com is more likely to come up with an abundant list of lower fares and rates, especially for hotels, because its search engines are more comprehensive in seeking the best price. Since Kayak.com also check airline and hotel websites, you can book directly, skirting around the service fees usually charged by the large travel sites. Kayak.com also has comprehensive fare comparison tools for checking prices at other sites and those paid by other travellers.
Some airlines do not allow Travelocity, Orbitz and Expedia to include them in their databases, or only list higher fares than can be obtained by booking directly with the carrier. Travellers included in the J.D. Power and Associates survey gave Expedia lower marks than Travelocity in the areas of ease of booking and navigation. Expedia usually charges a booking fee of $5 that can eat into price savings. However, it does offer a 24-hour price guarantee. Cancelling hotel reservations made online can result in fees from $25 to the full cost of a room.
Expedia did not allow you to limit the search to a maximum total travel time. Expedia should allow you to exclude specific airlines, connecting cities, overnight flights, connections on non-partner airlines, using different airlines for each part of a trip but not within a leg, set maximum and minimum connection times and to limit the dollar amount you wish to spend. Expedia also should have better time options rather than just morning, noon, or evening.
