SUMMARY
Users can now book flight tickets via texts on WhatsApp, the company said
An EaseMyTrip bot interacts with the user to book flight tickets from the messaging app
India accounts for 400 Mn active WhatsApp users out of the total installed base of over 2 Bn users
New Delhi-based EaseMyTrip, an online travel company, on Wednesday (January 22), announced that it has integrated its booking bot on WhatsApp Business platform, which lets users book flight tickets at a competitive price for desired destinations, on the go.
Prashant Pitti, founder and CEO of EaseMyTrip said in a press statement that the company has collaborated with Whatsapp-for-Business to come up with a technology solution where EaseMyTrip bot interacts with the user to book flight tickets from the messaging app.
WhatsApp users can now activate the autonomous interactive program by sending a text.
The company believes that this will minimise the time for users who are looking to book flight tickets, instead of exploring multiple platforms by searching for lowest fares and best deals and wasting time, he added.
EaseMyTrip was founded in 2008 by Pitti bothers, Nishant Pitti and Prashant Pitti. The company claims to be one of the leading names in the travel landscape with 8.81 Mn customers. It has a strong B2B network of more than 52,752 registered travel agent partners and 10,477 corporate customers. Currently, it has a presence in Noida, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Mumbai. Also, it has offices in Singapore, UAE and the UK.
WhatsApp API Boosting Indian Businesses
Will Cathcart, the global head of WhatsApp had earlier said that technology can help address some of India’s challenges and enables economic opportunities for small and micro-enterprises. However, it’s the people who bring it to life, he added.
Launched in 2018, WhatsApp Business has come a long way from where it all started. Though WhatsApp Payments has hit regulatory setbacks, its WhatsApp-for-Business has been a hit with the industry, with over 5 Mn businesses currently using WhatsApp API application every month. India accounts for 400 Mn active users out of WhatsApp’s total installed base of over 2 Bn users. Some of the startups and travel companies that are currently on WhatsApp Business include MakeMyTrip, Booking.com, Singapore Airlines, Uber and KLM.
Saujanya Shrivastava, the former group CMO of MakeMyTrip said that WhatsApp for Business has been a great enabler in reaching out to its customers quickly and effectively. “It is a great example of how technology can create customer-centric experiences” he added.
Similar to EaseMyTrip, another company called Javis is also using WhatsApp Business API to build an AI-powered sales targeting platform.
According to a WhatsApp survey, 77% of Indian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on WhatsApp have said that the online messaging platform has helped them to connect with their customers from across the country. Further, 62% of the WhatsApp Business users also said that the platform has helped them to increase sales and has become an essential part of their business.
