Trend Emerges with Online Retailers Returning to Traditional Brick & Mortar Operations
Travel Agent Industry Paves the Way with Fareportal on Leading Edge
NEW YORK, May 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- A trend is emerging in both the travel arena and other retail avenues in which the online community is returning to the brick and mortar operations of the past to serve the needs of a growing consumer network that wants the validation of human touch. In the travel industry, one company -- Fareportal -- has been on the leading edge of this trend since its inception.
Fareportal, with its CheapOair.com and OneTravel.com online travel agencies has been, from the start, a unique combination of clicks and bricks. This fact, combined with reports in the travel trade publications about an increase in use of travel agents by consumers in the past few years, is a clear indication that Fareportal is at the forefront of an important trend.
"Despite the continued rise in virtual sales, many people still want to touch and see the product before buying it," according to an article in Direct Marketing News (March 2017).
While online shopping has been growing in both the travel industry and elsewhere for the past 20 years, it has not eliminated the need for the traditional travel agent industry nor the brick and mortar retail stores of any retail industry.
The Direct Marketing News article declared: "In recent years, traditional online retailer companies have opened more physical stores than ever across the country. Most recently, Amazon told the Wall Street Journal it has plans to open two New York City bookstores by the end of the summer to add to their five already-operating brick and mortar locations across the U.S."
While Fareportal has been offering consumers access to live agents since its beginning, other large travel companies are now setting up a limited number of call centers with live travel counselors to service the needs of their customers.
As the use of computers, tablets and smartphones grew and online agencies and review sites proliferated with advice, the traditional role of the human travel counselor became more and more obsolete. However, reports that began to surface more than 20 years ago about the demise of the travel agent have always been greatly exaggerated. While the travel agent industry did shrink, as it probably should have, it was the serious travel counselors that survived.
The lack of satisfaction, and the lack of recourse in the event of a problem, has continually kept consumers running back to the traditional sales operations to find a human being to talk with and solve their issues.
Fareportal came along with a vision of combining the traditional brick and mortar travel agency with the online technology to make it easier for consumers to get the information and, at the same time, communicate with live, human travel agents to get validation, make bookings and solve problems that may arise. CLICK TO READ THE COMPLETE STORY
About Fareportal
Fareportal is a high-tech, high-touch travel company that powers a next generation travel concierge service. Utilizing its innovative technology and company-owned and operated global contact center, Fareportal has built strong industry partnerships that provide access to over 450 airlines, 150,000 hotels, and hundreds of car rental companies serving millions of customers every year. With a portfolio of consumer travel brands, including CheapOair and OneTravel, Fareportal enables consumers to book online, on mobile apps for iOS and Android, by phone or live chat. Fareportal provides its airline partners with access to a broad customer base that books high-yield international travel and add-on ancillaries.
To learn more, visit www.Fareportal.com.
SOURCE Fareportal
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