Case Study | Google Maps API for Business

Wotif.com supports global expansion and provides superb customer experience for travellers with Google Maps API for Business

At a Glance What they wanted to do • Provide global mapping coverage to support expansion into 40 countries • Streamline user experience to advance competitiveness • Find mapping solution with flexibility for easy integration • Serve mobile users with ease and minimise custom mobile development What they did • Replaced incumbent mapping solution with limited coverage to Google Maps, with global information • Integrated Google Maps API for business into Wotif.com • Switched to native Google Maps controls for user familiarity • Customised solution to include clusters, as well and walking/driving directions What they accomplished • Supported company expansion • Provided exceptional, intuitive user experience across desktops and mobiles • Stayed ahead of competitors • Differentiated site through features such as clustering and walking or driving directions

Company Wotif.com sells accommodation online in 66 countries. Great rates, broad accommodation range, an easy-to-use site, and 24/7 customer service centre have made Wotif.com among the most popular ways for business and leisure travellers in Australia and New Zealand to book accommodation online. Every month the site attracts 5.3 million visits, with customers making over 260,000 bookings. The company launched in Brisbane, Australia, in March 2000 and now has offices in New Zealand, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong,China, Malaysia, and the United Kingdom. Wotif.com is listed on the ASX, trading under the code WTF. Challenge With so many competitive online sites for comparing and booking flights and accommodation, Wotif.com must continually differentiate its services. The company established the first online travel site in Australia and, early on, gained strong brand recognition. It also maintains long-lasting, solid relationships with a vast network of suppliers. The company regularly enhances and updates the site in an effort to create and maintain an exceptional customer experience. Robust, yet easy-to-use mapping is crucial in that equation, because location is among the main criteria in making a selection. “We had already tried a variety of mapping solutions; however, as we expanded into more than 40 countries, it became evident that most Australian mapping providers only had quality maps for Australia,” explains Lindsay Murray, Product Manager, Online Marketing, for the Wotif Group. “We needed robust, granular, and accurate coverage of the entire globe.”

“We realised that people are more familiar with the way Google Maps works, so it just made sense to go with Google Maps’ controls, and we’re glad we did.” —Lindsay Murray, Product Manager, Online Marketing, the Wotif Group

Solution To span locations worldwide, Wotif.com selected the Google Maps API for Business. Google Maps is integrated into the site so that visitors researching virtually any destination can easily and precisely determine accommodation on a map. Some information is contained within Google Maps; hotels and other accommodations provide additional location information to augment the data. This rich set of information is not only available to desktop users. Wotif.com was able to use the same Google Maps API code for desktops, as well as for Wotif.com sites tailored for mobile visitors.

“Wotif.com is the first-mover in Australia, and we have a strong brand. We intend to stay a step ahead in order to maintain customer loyalty, and Google Maps is a big part of what keeps us in front of the pack.” —Lindsay Murray, Product Manager, Online Marketing, the Wotif Group

Wotif.com customised the interface functionality in a variety of ways. In popular cities where accommodations are clumped together tightly, it can be difficult for users to discern among the locations. Large clumps of pins, or markers, laying one on top of the other, were also slowing performance on the site. To solve this issue, Wotif. com’s developers created clusters of pins to simplify the map interface. Visitors can click on a call-out bubble for expanded details about each of the accommodations. Clustering results in a cleaner map and faster site performance and responsiveness. And, once visitors have selected a particular hotel or other accommodation, they can drop a pin onto the map and view either walking or driving directions, depending upon the distance to the spot, to the desired destination. Results For Wotif.com, worldwide map coverage in Google Maps API for Business provides high-resolution imagery, from around the world, without the company having to invest in base map data. As the company expands into other markets, Google Maps is already equipped with data to support global reach. Wotif.com was able to use the same Google Maps API code for multiple phones and desktops. This saves developers from wasting time on writing code for multiple browsers, allowing the company to develop mapping functionality that runs natively on mobile phones or within a phone’s browser.

About Google Maps API

Google Maps API provides a range of “application programming interfaces”, which allow developers to build with relative ease: • location-based applications • mobile apps that work on multiple mobile devices • applications that enable users to bring data to life by visualising and interacting with geospatial data • customised maps, incorporating and highlighting data and imagery specific to their organisations’ needs Google Maps API provides developers with a platform that has the flexibility and power to leverage maps and geospatial data in new and truly innovative ways. For more information, visit www.google.com/enterprise/earthmaps/ maps-apis.html

With Google Maps API for Business, Wotif.com and its development team have created an exceptional user experience. The site not only displays where accommodations are located in a fast, streamlined way, but also provides the ability to compare one option against many others and easily determine the proximity to desired spots – a beach, conference center, or other point of interest. Murray notes that the Google Maps interface is familiar, and visitors know how to interact with it right away, giving the site a leg up in terms of usability. “When we first started using Google Maps, we continued to rely on our own internally developed map controls,” says Murray. “Then we realised that people are more familiar with the way Google Maps works, so it just made sense to switch over to Google Maps’ controls, and we’re glad we did.” Adds Murray, “Wotif.com is the first-mover in Australia, and we have a strong brand. We intend to stay a step ahead in order to maintain customer loyalty, and Google Maps is a big part of what keeps us in front of the pack.”

© 2013 Google Inc. All rights reserved. Google and the Google logo are trademarks of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated. SS2101-1305