MakeMyTrip's Tripalong App Seeks To Sync Travel Ecommerce With Social Networking

MakeMyTrip has launched Tripalong, a social application for travellers, which basically integrates with the user's social networks and maps their travel itinerary so that they can connect with friends while travelling.

For using the app, users have to enter the travel details of their flights and if by chance their flight is 'intersecting' with that of the other members from their social networks (who are also Tripalong members, mind you), they are notified of the same. Users can also make new friends on Tripalong according to their profiles and interests.

Users can choose to create new accounts, sign-in with their existing MakeMyTrip accounts or login with their Facebook account (which makes sense since the app makes use of the social network anyways). Also, if you login through Facebook and allow Tripalong to post on your behalf, the app automatically posts a message on your wall mentioning the fact that you have joined Tripalong (pretty standard with such syncing).

After logging in, users can link their Facebook and LinkedIn accounts with Tripalong. They can also import information on flights booked through MakeMyTrip or individually add flight details. Once the flight details are added, users can view 'Trip Pals' on the same flight (if any) and they can also connect with other Trip Pals based on their profiles and interests.

Tripalong also updates users on friends who are in the same city as they are travelling to. The company claims that apart from the travel details, no other user-related data is exchanged with Tripalong members who are not authorized by the user.

The app has been conceptualized and developed in association with TenTenTen Digital Products Pvt Ltd, a Bangalore-based app development company.

Ramesh Srivats, MD & CEO of TenTenTen Digital Products said, "Social networks are more than just new 'media', they have changed the very way in which people interact with each other. Tripalong leverages the customer's own networks to make his or her travel a lot more fun."

Here's a video explaining the service.

What's In It For MakeMyTrip?

With the app, the company will gain access to a large amount of travel data of both the app users and their friends (if they join Tripalong), and this data will include details of both users who have booked their flights using MMT, and also of flights booked elsewhere (who are potential future customers). Also, with the app, MMT can keep track of the flying pattern of frequent flyers who will most probably account for a large per cent of the people that will join Tripalong in the first place.

So the company has the user's flight details (both MMT users and others), their flying pattern and their contact details (since they are signing up for the app). This basically means that the company will have the opportunity to attract new users who are booking their flights elsewhere and also get long term users in the form of frequent flyers (via in-direct advertising). A Win-Win, don't you think?