SigmaZen Variable Opaque Product Available on Selected Lufthansa Routes
An enhanced version of the successful "Blind Booking" variable opaque product (VOP) created by SigmaZen GmbH and powered by 2e Systems was launched on 18 May 2016 on the Lufthansa.com website. The "Lufthansa Surprise" VOP (www.lufthansa-surprise.com) allows customers to create their own return flight solution for prices as low as €89, including all taxes and fees.
Lufthansa Surprise customers enter their criteria according to destination, date, and length of travel. After payment Lufthansa Surprise allocates a flight to the customer and the customer is informed immediately of where and when they are flying at competitive prices.
A joint venture between SigmaZen GmbH, the pioneer and leading provider of VOPs for airlines, and 2e Systems GmbH, a leading provider in online solutions for airlines, was selected to provide the Lufthansa Surprise tool for Europe's largest airline.
In summary, the SigmaZen VOP allows airlines, hotels and other travel providers to:
- sell inventory that would not be sold via the traditional sales methods to a new market of highly flexible customers
- generate significant incremental revenues from this new market of highly flexible customers
- attract additional volume to the travel provider's own branded website
- improve the travel provider's image as a customer-focused organization by offering attractive discounts to customers
- glean a very rich set of behavioral data as customers generally interact intensively with the VOP in order to create a product-price combination that fits their needs
- allocate these flexible customers to inventory where demand from the traditional market is low so that the travel provider's resources are more efficiently employed
- offer very attractive prices without undermining the traditional market or sparking off a price war with competitor travel providers
- continually optimize VOP prices using a learning feedback loo
- easily integrate the VOP into their existing website with minimal effort required from the travel provider IT department.