Fragmentation Sparks Metasearch in Russia and Eastern Europe

Summary

Though Eastern Europe's online travel industry lags more developed markets in terms of online travel penetration, its technological maturity is rapidly advancing. One example is metasearch, an area where multiple brands are thriving in this fragmented, growing marketplace. But are there too many brands in online travel? And if so, when will consolidation begin?

Eastern European online travel distribution faces many challenges, including lack of adequate technology. But one benefit of low market maturity is the luxury of learning from the mistakes of your predecessors. You can choose a proven solution rather than go through the process of trial and error – and metasearch players in Eastern Europe are well aware of this. In addition, some typical characteristics of emerging markets – low trust in e-commerce, uncertainty in making decisions online, price-sensitivity – can help the metasearch model not only survive, but thrive. Customers skeptical about online commerce are more likely to trust meta, which rates other travel sites and guarantees fraud-free transactions. And if you're looking for the best price on a flight or room, it doesn't get better than meta.