Via, a company that has redefined the (ticketing) distribution business has launched deals section.
If you are wondering what’s so big about it, well this comes from a company that understands the sales/distribution and pricing very well (has a huge network).
Currently, Via’s deal service offers :
– travel deals (http://www.via.com/bdo)
– deals for shoppers (http://deals.via.com/deals)
Via offers deals across categories like electronics, travel and lifestyle.
Though the site currently has deals for very few cities (mostly metros), they have listed more than 40 cities, creating a ‘sense of ‘this is big’. But in reality, they have tagged ‘All India Deals’ like travels and are showing up these deals in every city.
Snapdeal Challenger?
Well, we know from some of the early talks that Via founder was interested in taking up stake in Snapdeal (though the deal didn’t happen). Only time will tell, how Via fares with this service, but given their experience in selling to offline world, I’d expect this to be a serious competition for Snapdeal (and others).
Domain?
I am yet to understand why would Via use a subdomain for a service that is quite disconnected from the main site? After all, Via (Flightraja) is not a consumer/destination site.
Aside, from what we know, the company bought via.com for a huge amount and spent 2 crores last year just on paper ads.
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An interesting development to watch out for.
