AirAsia's Online Success

Happy Chinese New Year!!!

Amidst the celebration of the Lunar Ox Year, one must never forget one's responsibility to update this blog *ahem*. =P

This week, my topic is to select an example of e-commerce success, and to find out what makes this example of mine successful. And what better example is there than that from our own nation - AirAsia.

AirAsia is famous not just for its low-cost carriers, but also for the services it offers its customers via its website, www.airasia.com.

The signature red that colours all things related to AirAsia is the first thing that greets an online visitor (in this case, me). The site asks me to select the location I'm in, and my preferred language. I'm then transported to the content of the site, where various tabs like 'flight info', 'travel services' and 'help' are available to assist. The user-friendliness of the site is one of the causes for AirAsia's online success.

Littered on the homepage of the site are many promotional packages, special discounts and contests. These promotions do not only concern flight tickets, but also vacation and tour packages, and bookings for hotel rooms. This is one of the ways AirAsia draws crowds to its online market, by offering variety as well as attractive prices and a chance to win highly desirable prizes.

Besides that, airasia.com promises an RM200 E-Gift Voucher for any guests whose flights are delayed by more than 2 hours from the scheduled time. This move, called the AirAsia's On Time Guarantee, can give assurance to customers that it is safe to use AirAsia's online booking service.

Of course, any e-commerce would not be successful if no one knows about it. AirAsia therefore aggressively advertises and promotes its online services via various media channels to ensure Malaysians as well as foreigners know that airasia.com is the site to log on to, to get the greatest discounts by booking a flight early. AirAsia also has business relationships with various banks to bring the highest convenience to its customers in terms of payment online.

With the successful implementation of e-commerce, there is no wonder that AirAsia is one of the giants in the airline industry. Furthermore, with the rampant growth of the Internet, anyone from any part of the world can log in to airasia.com anytime to book a cheap flight online.

And that’s why now everyone can fly.

For more stories behind AirAsia's success, visit these links:

• http://www.afoofa.com/mediaroom/dochub/casestudy/airasia.pdf
• http://www.dailyexpress.com.my/news.cfm?NewsID=38808
  
• http://www.icmrindia.org/casestudies/catalogue/Business%20Strategy/AirAsia-Southeast%20Asia%20Most%20Successful%20Low-cost%20Airline-excerpts.htm

One of AirAsia's creative but unofficial commercials: