Travelstart, Africa's fastest growing global
travel search site, will be the first website in Kenya to offer
mobi-site bookings via mobile devices.
The mobile website, available at http://www.travelstart.co.ke, allows
travellers to search and buy domestic and international flights, and
receive instant booking confirmation via email. The mobi-site
automatically detects and adjusts to different mobile device screens,
with functionality that includes the ability to mix and match domestic
airlines to book the cheapest possible tickets on multiple carriers.
Kenyan country manager Bryan Kariuki believes that the new
mobile-friendly website will meet the needs of an increasing amount of
Travelstart customers accessing the flight booking site from their
mobile devices.
"Africa, out of necessity, has advanced rapidly in terms of mobile
commerce and we look forward to connecting with a new audience through
the new mobile optimised website. In the near future M-Commerce will
mean everything when it comes to online shopping in Kenya and we want to
be in a position where we can meet the needs of mobile dependent
customers on their preferred devices."
The online travel agency, which reported a huge increase in mobile
traffic to the website between 2012 and 2013, says Kenya's mobile
audience started demonstrating an upward trend in December 2011, with
33.1 per cent of all connected devices comprising mobile. The latest
research shows this figure has grown to 39.18 per cent.
"Mobile devices are an indispensable tool and a prominent feature of
everyday life in Kenya. With the mobile friendly version of the website
now available, we are able to offer the most powerful features and
flexibility of Travelstart to cellphone and tablet connected customers,"
said Kariuki.
Filters can be applied to flight search results allowing customers to
view flight options for specific airlines, times or simply by price.
Once a flight is found, customers can book and pay for it directly from
their mobile phone, or reserve the seat and pay for it later via one of
Travelstart's several payment methods.
Linked to the existing Travelstart.co.ke domain, the mobile-friendly
version of the website has also been rolled out to the online travel
agency's international markets which include South Africa, Tanzania,
Nigeria, and will be followed by Egypt, Turkey, Qatar, Bahrain and the
UAE.
Meanwhile, 3G Direct Pay Ltd, a leading online payments service
provider, now has a strategic business partnership with Kopo Kopo, a
merchant services platform for mobile network operators in emerging
markets.
Eran Feinstein, Managing Director, 3G Direct Pay Ltd, signed the
partnership agreement which he said would bring innovative payment
options for the regional travel industry.
"Our partnership, the first of any in the world, will introduce
mobile money to the online arena," said Feinstein. "Together, 3G Direct
Pay Ltd and Kopo Kopo will provide the travel providers with the option
to accept online all modes of payment from credit cards, PayPal, and
Mobile Money.
"By using the Kopo Kopo merchant services platform, 3G Direct Pay Ltd
will provide all leading mobile money options in the region to the
online platform to the travel providers. This includes Kenya's M-Pesa as
well as Tanzania's M-Pesa and Tigo Pesa, with additional services to
soon follow."
While the 3G Direct Pay's platform provides a secure online payments
solution to any provider and can be used as part of any e-commerce
checkout, Kopo Kopo's end-to-end platform allows operators and other
payment providers to acquire and manage merchants who wish to accept
mobile money payments.
"Mobile money has emerged as one of the fastest growing consumer
products," said Francis Mugane, head of sales and distribution, Kopo
Kopo. "The Kopo Kopo platform creates a vital link in the mobile money
ecosystem by allowing consumers to pay at the merchants of their choice,
unlocking billions in potential demand. We make it easy, inexpensive
and convenient for a business to accept mobile money payments."
3G Direct Pay Ltd leads the African online travel market since 2006,
where hundreds of travel businesses and millions of end customers can
shop, pay, sell and get paid. The online payments platform is connected
to all leading credit card types and electronic wallets, including Visa,
MasterCard, American Express and PayPal. 3G Direct Pay Ltd fills the
online gap between the providers and the consumers.
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