Prime Days promotion drove record bookers to mobile, claims eDreams

The leading European OTA group ran the latest exclusive promotion for its subscribers at the beginning of this month

The latest Prime Days promotion by eDreams ODIGEO to its subscriber based drove a record number of bookers to its mobile app, according to the European OTA group.

The Opodo parent ran the fourth edition of Prime Days at the beginning of this month giving mobile users exclusive access overnight on October 3.

The event then took place from the following day to October 6 on the eDreams, Opodo and Go Voyages websites.

The OTA reported the three-day campaign drove a 71% increase in bookings made on the its native apps, compared to the second Prime Days, held on the same dates in October 2021. 

It claimed it continues to outperform the industry for mobile bookings and is trading on average 13 percentage points ahead of its competitors. 

Overall, the business said it saw a 10% uplift in sales on all platforms combined, compared to the October 2021 Prime Days promotion, the firm’s biggest trading event last year.

EDreams added partner airlines that participated in the Prime Days event experienced a significant increase in market share. 

The firm said the “positive results of the Prime Days together with the continued and exponential growth of the business’ hugely popular subscription service, Prime, are indicative of the growing appeal that the subscription model has to savvy consumers and airlines”.

Dana Dunne, chief executive of eDreams ODIGEO, said: “Prime is a pioneer for the travel sector and is revolutionising the market as Netflix and Spotify did for films and music, respectively. 

“Since launching in 2017, we have seen our members grow substantially, with thousands of new subscribers joining Prime every quarter. 

“Today, we serve 3.5 million Prime members who enjoy access to the very best prices, a highly personalised service, and an enhanced customer service offering. 

“The excellent results of the latest Prime Days is yet another example of the value that the subscription model brings to savvy consumers.

“We have known for years now that the mindset of shoppers has been shifting in favour of subscription services over traditional retailing, which is why we’re already well underway with our transition into a company that predominantly operates as a subscription service. 

“Our latest research revealed that travel is the sector most likely to see subscription growth over the next 12 months, both from existing and new members. 

“This demand for travel subscription products, combined with our unique offering to consumers and unrivalled leadership in mobile, is setting us on a strong trajectory to exceed 7.25 million members by 2025.”

Prime now has 3.5 million subscribers across nine countries that can access exclusive discounts and promotions on flights, hotels and car hire. 

EDreams said Prime members are also provided a more personalised experience through artificial intelligence and machine learning digital capabilities and a 24/7 priority customer service hotline. 

Members have access to exclusive discounted rates for flights across 690 airlines and 2.1 million hotels worldwide. The service is offered free for the first month and then for £59.99 per year.