You may or may not remember the Internet landscape in 2001. At the time travel was moving away from Brick and Mortar and moving toward Internet only sites like Travelocity, Orbitz, and Expedia. Last year, Expedia overtook the top spot in annual travel sales according to Travel Weekly’s annual Power List report. Expedia jumped up and over two previous power houses, American Express and Carlson Wagonlit to land firmly at number one. The big 4 (Travelocity, Orbitz, Priceline, and Expedia) have had a firm hold of the top ten for years.

Oddly enough, YTB Travel Network was also founded in 2001 and made its own mark over the last ten years in the travel industry. (Much to the chagrin of traditional agents – who lost business due to both models.) All signs were pointing toward this massive market shift as technology made things easier, faster, far more accessible, and with the increase in competition, better pricing for the consumer. Some embraced it – others ignored it – while others tried to fight it.

In 2009, the parent company of YTB Travel Network (YTB International, Inc.) considered, and tested the waters with online retail. What we found was not only a brand new revenue stream, but another untapped market that was poised for massive growth. Early in 2010, YTB launched ZamZuu and has been in the driver’s seat with hundreds of online retail stores that add value to an already massive client base.

And the timing couldn’t have been better.

Internet Retailer, a leading authority for e-commerce, is reporting that early data analysis for Internet Retailer’s forthcoming 2011 Top 500 Guide — web-only merchants took business away from the rest of the market in 2010.

Without Amazon, No. 1 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide which grew sales year over year by 39.5% to $34.20 billion from $24.51 billion, the remaining 54 online-only merchants grew revenue 27.6% to $5.27 billion in 2010 from $4.13 billion in 2009.

Even combined revenue from merchants who have both a brick and mortar location and web presence show money moving to the internet. Web sales increased 32.9% compared to their total retail sales which grew year over year by only 3%.

Internet Retailer ranks the Top 500 business-to-consumer retailers based on online sales, including retail chains, catalogers, web-only merchants, brand manufacturers and digital content sellers. The list is literally a who’s who in retail. While the 2010 listing is still being collected and crunched, these early numbers show a significant shift in how people shop in the modern era.

What I really like about the publication is the snapshot it provides on just how well retailers doing on the internet. (Both web-only and combined B&M with web presence.) It’s not just sales numbers, but how retailers market on the internet to generate sales. What type of affiliate program they have, or which affiliate network they use. (Be it direct like Amazon, or through Commission Junction or Google like Staples.) It also provides demographics and shopper profiles to help affiliates match up stores with their core audience demographic.

Like the travel sales we’ve seen shift to the internet, it’s no accident that retail is also making significant strides on the World Wide Web. The growth is quite impressive.

Fight it – ignore it – even justify it if you want. Like travel, it’s a battle and opportunity you’re going to lose out on if you’re not in the game.

The smart ones, not only see, but seize the opportunities that show this kind of growth and promise.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

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Doug & Ronda Bauknight AKA: TravelPro Travel Agent / Networker Phone: 678.458.5812

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TSO #588629

Love, exciting and new
Come Aboard. We’re expecting you.
Love, life’s sweetest reward.
Let it flow, it floats back to you.

Okay, so Jack Jones I’m not, but I LOVED this show when I was a kid. Princess Cruises agreed to have their cruise ships featured in the television sitcom The Love Boat, which debuted in 1977. The ship was the stage for this popular show (actually it was filmed primarily on sets in a production studio) and coined the term “Love Boat” which was heavily used by Princess Cruises in their marketing, and became synonymous with the Pacific Princess.

The success of the up-beat television show, which remained on the air until 1986, is largely credited with the increase in popularity of cruising. I can tell you without question that my initial interest in cruising was because of this particular show. (Although my first cruise was not until many years later.)

So what do you say? Would you like to set a course for adventure, your mind on a new romance?

Have I got a deal for you! But don’t think for a second that today’s cruise experience is anything like the old sitcom we grew up with. A lot has changed in 30 years, (Yes, the show is THAT old!) and YTB is inviting you to see first hand what Princess Cruises is all about tonight, during a live webcast right on our booking engine from 6:00PM to 8:00PM Central Standard Time with J. Kim Sorensen, President, YTB Travel Network, Shelly Coppersmith, Vice President of Marketing, YTB Travel Network and Amy Alford of Princess Cruises.

Tonight marks the launch of a two week sale with Princess for some exceptional savings, (as if there aren’t incredible deals out there right now) including a reduced deposit of $100 per person, and a coupon book worth $325 while your on board for a wide assortment of onboard products and services. This combined with some very aggressive sale prices could be just the ticket to get you on board one of their many ships to experience what I’ve called “the best vacation money can buy” for many, many years. (The reason I wanted to become a Travel Agent to begin with.)

This isn’t the first time YTB has done a webinar like this. We tried it out just over a year ago with Carnival and then again this past December and I can only assume that Carnival not only liked what YTB was able to do for them, but have started to spread the word to some of the other cruise lines owned by the line so they can benefit from this extremely cost effective and productive form of marketing.

And why not? It works well for everyone involved. All Princess has to do is show up with their Business Development Manager, sit in front of a camera for a couple of hours, while we as RTA’s place thousands of prospects in front of their computers, in the comfort of their own home, while Princess (who knows their product best), talks about their features, advantages, and benefits. If you like what you see, you have a direct link to the product sitting right on your desktop to select and purchase the cruise the best fits your budget and time frame.

The webcast will be rebroadcast from 8:00PM -10:00PM Central Standard Time (and periodically throughout the week) and all you have to do is click this link to view the webcast for this exciting consumer event. Of course I’ll be available to answer any questions you have, (number provided below) and we will also have Agents on duty at the Home Office until 10:00PM Central Standard Time. (800 number will be provided on the webinar.)

So take some time tonight and join thousand of others who want to take advantage of a great experience, on a fabulous floating resort, to several destinations of choice, with some of the best pricing I’ve seen in all the years I’ve been looking for “the best vacation money can buy”.

Who knows, I could be greeting you as well with…

Welcome aboard it’s LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE!

(Okay…maybe not.)

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Doug & Ronda Bauknight AKA: TravelPro Travel Agent / Networker Phone: 678.458.5812

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

TSO #588629

I’ve heard from critics out there that they can always get a better price somewhere else when it comes to travel. I’ve seen some really obscure examples over the years and while I’ve never claimed that I would have the absolute “best price” every single time…

I will be competitive.

Knowing our booking engine the way I do, I can find a number of “bargains” out there that give me an edge over anyone else.

Two examples I can think of off the top of my head would be booking the hotel, air, and ground transportation together. I had a client book with us because I consolidated her trip to New York over Christmas this way. I combined air, hotel and transfers for about $300 dollars less than she could find anywhere else, and upgraded her to the Millennium UN Plaza to boot, which based on her own research, was completely out of reach according to her budget.

Another great resource I have are group cruise bookings. Any time a client simply gives me a date range, I’ll scroll through our Group Bookings page to see if there might be something there that might fit. Take the first cruise on this long list of groups for example. Based on the pricing found on this site compared to what you find direct with Carnival, you’ll save over $250 per person on a category 8A by booking on the group’s page rather than going direct with Carnival or another Agent for the same cruise.

 

And if you run into a critic who tells you otherwise, like I’ve seen in the past, tell them to go book it. Then wait for a call back when they find out that the price they were quoted did not include port charges and taxes the way we do on the group’s page.

 

Works every time.          

 

Looks like someone else has taken notice of the special deals YTB has to offer. Sue Goldstein, known as the Underground Shopper, was recently interviewed on CNN about some of the deals she’s found.

Here’s an excerpt from here site.

Sue, who has made bargain-hunting her life for almost 35 years, is the Underground Shopper^® founder and hands-on guiding light. Let her lead the way through the trenches of “needless markups” and show you how to get around paying wretched retail. You don’t need a brother-in-law in the business to get it for you wholesale. You’ve got Sue Goldstein as your new best friend.

During the interview Sue gave her recommendation for finding the “best travel deals” on the internet. If you take a look at the site CNN pulled up, although it’s under a different domain name, it looks just like the one I have.

 

What’s up with that?

I don’t know about Sue being my new best friend, but with a last name like Goldstein, would you expect anything other than frugal?

 

Thanks for the plug Sue, and thanks for setting everyone straight on just who has the best travel deals out there. Critics should have a field day with this one, and honestly, I’d love to see them match witts with a woman like this. Looks to me like she has no problem calling a spade a spade. They are more than welcome to open up that can of worms by contacting Sue directly.(LOL!)

 

On another note, I’m going to leave you with this question:

 

What do the following companies have in common?

 

• Carlson Wagonlit Travel
• Choice Hotels
• CruiseOne, Inc.
• Discovery Map International
• Hotel Indigo
• Microtel Inn
• Passport Health Communications
• Thetravelacademy
• Uniglobe Travel International
• Your Travel Biz

I’ll have the answer for you here tomorrow for the inquiring minds that want to know.

By the way…I claim no responsibility concerning last night’s Steeler victory over Washington on Monday Night Football and any connection to today’s Presidential Election. I realize how superstitious some people are, but suggest you get out and and place your own vote anyway.

PS - If you're involved with YTB, sign up for our FREE Newsletter. As a Website Owner or Website Seller, we'll keep you up to date with all the latest news, acquisitions, and developments with YTB.

PPS - Subscribe to the Just Picture It Now RSS feed, (including e-mail) for all the latest posts and updates found right here!

Doug & Ronda Bauknight AKA: TravelPro Travel Agent / Networker Phone: 678.458.5812

Book Your Travel & Vacations With

TSO #588629