By integrating with Ozon, the Ozon Travel service will become the first online agency in the Russian market to abandon the traditional markup on air tickets. This will be made possible when the company gains direct access to frequent customers of the Ozon marketplace, which is visited by more than 80 million monthly users. Market players typically use markups for advertising and attracting new customers. In foregoing markups on air tickets and keeping the same prices for additional services, Ozon Travel will be able to offer the same prices offered by carriers themselves and, at the same time, a high level of service. Ozon Travel currently offers tickets from more than 800 airlines, as well as train tickets, hotel reservations, insurance and additional services (for example, booking seats for a flight).
The experience of purchasing tickets will closely resemble that of buying goods on the marketplace. Customers will need to choose their destination and the date, select the appropriate option and pay using any of the payment options available on the site (bank card, Apple Pay, Ozon points, etc.). Once the payment is made, information about the flight and the ticket will appear in the Ozon Travel section of the user’s personal account. The ticket will also be sent to the customer by email. All the advantages of agency service will remain, giving users access to a large number of flight options and help and support when booking through one point of contact. For example, customers can get help with issues concerning ticket refunds or exchanges through their Ozon personal account.
Mikhail Osin, CEO of Ozon Travel, commented:
“Integration with Ozon is a logical and long-awaited step for us, which will enable us to make a qualitative leap forward in terms of the convenience of our product and the economics of our service. Thanks to the access to millions of loyal Ozon customers, Ozon Travel will be able to save on advertising costs. Meanwhile, foregoing the markup on airfare will make our service unique by enabling us to offer the best prices for flights. Ozon itself will expand its offering: customers will be able not only to purchase a variety of goods, including for travel, but also to book trips – and all on a single site.”