The next revolution in travel? and Google continuing its (unintentional?) plans to dominate travel highlighting some seemingly innocuous moves by Google that could portend greater ambitions in travel. At Google I/O last week however it became clear that Google hasn't lost its loving feeling for travel, in fact the ardor may have even grown. Let's explore some of what was announced and what impact it will have.
- Trip bundles in Inbox make Google omnipresent during planning & traveling. Previously, Inbox offered users a travel inbox that would contain all e-mails associated with Travel. This made it more convenient to find travel related e-mails but could still be disorganized and over-run with messages. To address this, Google has taken Inbox travel one step farther with Trip Bundles which will bundle e-mails specific to an individual trip. This will create a Google Now like experience within Inbox with no effort or friction to the user. Google's approach helps it play an increasingly visible and seamless role in travel. The company has even eliminated the simple step of visiting Google now for trip-specific information which can now be accessed directly through Inbox. Google is positioning itself as the default over-the-top solution for all travel needs which means it will have a wealth of data on users, can generate advertising revenue and serve as an important arbiter of information - which brings us to...
- Google Now on Tap is a powerful arbiter. Google now is already a one-stop shop for users when it comes to travel information. It provides destination information such as weather, traffic and more. It provides links to local attractions and suggestions of restaurants. However, Google Now on Tap - which will be available over-the-top of other applications without the need for developer involvement - will be uniquely positioned to further embed Google as a travel kingmaker. Google's strength will primarily be driven by which applications and experiences it desires to surface to users. If there are competing dining reservation apps for example or tour apps which one will Google show users? If Google Now on Tap becomes popular how will Google suggestions work? Will travel destinations need to engage in On-Tap advertising methods? Taking it one step beyond, what if Google wants to begin promoting trips with Now on Tap? Google will get to decide which - if any - partners it wants to highlight to Android users. Google's potential role at the center of the travel information web will turn it into a critical player in travel.
- Google Cardboard could be a virtual tourist. This is a bit of a stretch but Google's investment in JUMP - a camera rig for creating 360 degree virtual reality content for Google Cardboard - could (big MAYBE) allow Google to become critical in another area of travel - creation of marketing/promotional content. Since Google will be building the initial JUMP equipment (it will be open sourced but we doubt companies will build their own in the short term) and make it available to partners it will again decide which companies get and which do not get to benefit from its technology. While Cardboard remains limited - it is important to note that more than 1M units are installed - and more will be purchased this year. It's not a huge market but it's a big market that will grow. By expanding cardboard to support larger phones and iOS, Cardboard could become a useful tool for creating unique compelling content for tourist destinations, travel companies and other across the travel industry. Could Disney and Universal vie for a partnership to further demonstrate the value of their locations and their technological prowess? Will Hilton and Marriott war over which can use JUMP to create immersive views of their newest resorts for Cardboard users? It is likely that travel will be a compelling use case for Cardboard/JUMP and again Google inserts itself into the role of powerful arbiter.
- Is all of this bad? Is any of this bad? Is it actually good? Google earns most of its money from advertising and therefore it is likely that it will create systems that allow competitors to effectively bid on advertising in order to compete for attention. Maybe its plans are more pragmatic and it will only surface apps a users has for example. But in reality - the discovery of apps is broken - and therefore using Now on Tap as a discovery vehicle for non-installed apps makes sense.
If Google takes this approach it will become increasingly expensive and competitive for travel companies seeking to win share on mobile. There is time to plan. Accordingly to Google Android Lollipop is only on 10% of devices and M will be on even fewer for a while - but Google's moves and intentions indicate a specific strategy and being mindful of that strategy today can shape plans to take advantage of it in the future. Google will be a player in travel - that much is clear.
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