Ixigo adds in-app bookings to flight and hotel meta

Ixigo's conveyor belt of new products and services has brought another innovation to the Indian metasearch market, with "ixibook" now offering direct in-app bookings of flights and hotels.

It has signed Cleartrip as the launch partner for flights, with budget hotel aggregator OYO Rooms the source of hotel inventory.

The ability for users - or "ixigoers" as the company calls them - to book within the ixibook app in a single tap should lift conversion rates, it is claimed.

Aloke Bajpai, ixigo co-founder and CEO said that the move was a first for the Indian market and that it expects 30% of its flight and hotel bookings to be made this way within the next few months. More partners will be introduced to the platform.

Ixibook also stores the users details so that follow-on purchases are easier.

OYO's involvement is an interesting side-story. The budget hotel aggregator faced serious headwinds late last year when some of India's biggest OTAs stopped selling its inventory and launched an aggregated budget hotel propositions of their own.

And MakeMyTrip, one of the most vocal in its rejection of OYO, is one of ixigo's backers.

From an OYO perspective, the ixibook tie-up gives it a fresh distribution channel and comes a month or so after it snapped up rival Zo for an undisclosed sum.

Related reading from Tnooz:Ibibo Group lands massive $250 million round to extend travel bookings online (Feb 2016) Thomas Cook India links up with Airbnb for international packages (Feb 2016) Ixigo preps intercity cabs, sees apps embedded into Micromax handsets (Oct 2015)