Comments on: New launches: MetroMela expands, ClearTrip goes offline, tolmolbol adds jazz

By: ClearTrip launches Travel Video |Technology and Business Startups in India

ClearTrip launches Travel Video |Technology and Business Startups in India — Wed, 28 May 2008 07:10:44 +0000

[...] has been adding interesting features, has offline presence, raised $18.5mn funds and plans to go [...]

By: Indian Travel Industry: Witnessing penguin effect? |Indian Startups, Business and Technology

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 10:56:18 +0000

[...] ClearTrip has already realized the ceiling and is going offline (i.e. setting up booking counters in airport) and raised funding [...]

By: Ajju

Ajju — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 06:16:04 +0000

40% last minute booking!. It is Unbelievable.

By: ClearTrip receives third round of funding |Coverage of Indian Startups, Business

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 03:32:29 +0000

[...] plans to use the funding for building more services and increasing offline presence as well as [...]

By: Ashish

Ashish — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 02:17:07 +0000

@Unmesh – Interesting thoughts.
“Even for last minute ticket buyers, why wouldnt they go directly to the airline ticket counter to buy a ticket instead of going to the Cleartrip counter?” – Because they dont want to go thru’ 10 diff. counters to find out the cheapest price..
they still need an aggregator there and that’s what CT is trying to achieve..

I agree other players will wait and watch to understand the viability of the move..

By: Unmesh

Unmesh — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 17:48:32 +0000

Amazon moving offline may have been more to take the battle to the brick-n-mortar incumbents and even then it did so through alliances. By putting up kiosks, ClearTrip may lead its customers to take their grievances there to settle disputes, refunds, etc. Could prove risky.

Could the “lotsa people buying tickets at the airport counters at the last moment” be just the set of people missing flights due to delays, cancellations, etc? Even for last minute ticket buyers, why wouldnt they go directly to the airline ticket counter to buy a ticket instead of going to the Cleartrip counter?

Basically, this move by ClearTrip is not one that other players cant replicate easily – they would be wise to wait and watch, though.

By: Ashish

Ashish — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:38:19 +0000

Unmesh – I dont think only last munite biz travelers are the ones who make their arrangement plans in the last minute.

Apart from the biz traveler (which is actually a big target segment), even “aam junta” plans trips @ the last minute. Infact, I suggest you visit airport ticket counter and see the action for ~5 hours – I am sure you will find lotsa ppl buying tickets at the last moment.

More than all this, ClearTrip will get huge branding by setting up the offline channel.
And by the way, even Amazon had to setup their offline stores to increase sales.

By: Unmesh

Unmesh — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 14:32:22 +0000

About ClearTrip launching one-stop travel shop – isnt it adding to their cost base? Besides, by opening these at the airports, they are only targeting last minute business travelers who most likely already have travel depts in their companies taking care of the bookings. I cant imagine a family trooping to the airport with bags making a last-minute dash to that family vacation. Most people would typically go to a local travel shop to make last minute bookings and not to an airport that is typically located far away.

I would rather, Cleartrip garners all local travel agents on its online platform and give the user the choice to buy either from CT.com or from a local travel agent online and have the option of picking up the tix from them. It would make sense to stay focussed on driving efficiencies in the online portal which is where the cost savings are. Think Amazon.com.