Content management and digital publishing solutions specialist Offline Digital has been appointed outsourced Web development partner for Travelwhere, a UK-based online affiliate marketing travel portal, which went live recently (www.travelwhere.co.uk).
The scope of the engagement involves the remote provision of a range of services, including business analysis, functional and technical design, custom development, software configuration, integration with third-party systems, infrastructure set-up, project management, training and ongoing maintenance and support.
The planned Web site will be based on Offline Digital's rapid application development (RAD) for content management and Web solutions.
Cape Town-based Offline Digital, a company in the JSE AltX-listed DTH group, is geared for remote, outsourced Web application development and has over 20 active customers in South Africa, the UK and Europe.
The Travelwhere model is an innovative affiliate marketing Web site that enables online holiday planning, research and transactional booking without the company acting in any travel agent fiduciary capacity. The site aggregates tour operators and travel service providers, and presents information listed by search engines. The partnership, says Travelwhere founder and CEO Ian Champness, will help position Travelwhere as a leading player in the affiliate marketing and travel media service in the UK's £100 billion travel sector.
“We sourced a development partner that we could rely on to keep abreast of all the latest technologies and best practices in the fast moving environment of Web application development. Offline Digital has a solid understanding of the UK travel market's dynamics, customer requirements, Web development and the importance of remote support. This made the company an ideal partner.”
Champness says the Travelwhere team outlines the conceptual vision of the applications required to deliver the specific features of each project, and Offline Digital provides a full Web development service by drawing up appropriate business requirements, technical specifications, testing and implementation planning.
Key features
Key features of the new Web site include extensive use of GoogleMaps, a travel service provider directory, integration with third-party aggregated product information, and widgets enabling other Web sites to integrate with and provide Travelwhere services to their visitors.
The advantages of using a South African outsourced Web development partner over those from other countries renowned for outsourcing capabilities are numerous.
“The pricing and quality of analysts, programmers and project managers in South Africa compared with those of UK developers is a major benefit. The hourly rates in South Africa can be as low as a third of
UK costs but, as importantly, the skills set and expertise in the business requirement interpretation and functionality specifications are, in our experience, to the highest standard,” says Champness.
In addition, while rates of former Eastern bloc, Russian and Indian developers may be comparable to those in South Africa, the cultural and linguistic differences in those countries can lead to ambiguities and deliverables that fail to match expectations.
Champness also refers to an intangible ethos benefit. “South African companies and their employees have an approach to business that sits very comfortably with the UK business culture,” says Champness.
Ryan Morison, MD of Offline Digital, says UK travellers are accustomed to using the Internet for holiday research and bookings. Web traffic volumes are high, which made usability and performance crucial considerations for the Travelwhere site.
“Providing user support remotely is never a problem for us - most of our clients are in other cities and countries. We see our partnership with Travelwhere as an opportunity to strengthen our foothold in the lucrative UK market.”
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