Experiences - Tech, AI and Distribution #8
Welcome to the eighth edition of the Magpie Newsletter, covering technology, AI and distribution in the experiences sector of travel.
1. OpenAI Cancels Instant Checkout
This story was written and re-written all over LinkedIn. A common thread was that it's proof that travel is different. It's special. It's more complicated than everything else. The incumbents are here to stay...
This agentic commerce test failed. For now. Just like Google has done for 25 years, all kinds of new surfaces are going to be tested. It wasn't too long ago when the idea of booking a hotel on your phone would have been a frightening concept. I've been struggling to find the widgets in the wild since January - maybe I was the only person looking for them?
OpenAI apparently said they'll fall back to Apps to solve this. They're wrong. Apps are a terrible concept. If I want to search Expedia, I'll go to...Expedia. It's a backwards step. I'll wait for what happens next. It's possible that Apps morphs into something useful.
We haven't really seen what Google / Gemini will do here. Google Travel seems to be doing quite well, so there's probably less of a rush over there, and they haven't really launched anything in E-commerce yet (have they?) - just the announcement of the standard / infrastructure (UCP).
2. Future of Work - Cowork / Claude Code
Software Engineers (those who actually write code) are going to be the first role with a huge impact. It's going to move really quickly for many other jobs too. I talk a lot about Data Compression. When you work at a screen all day, you're mostly compressing data. Shuffling words from one place to another, whether that's between documents or between people. In that role, the AI is already superior at 90% of the tasks. That's a problem.
3. Magpie - Marketing Hub
I talk about Single-Source-of-Truth a lot. It's because it really is the building block of utilizing AI to help you in your job. But it's also what we focus on at Magpie. We're deploying features weekly right now. Marketing Hub allows you to generate Social Posts, Splash Pages, Link Hubs, Blogs, or anything else that you know you should be creating.
It's a pretty magical tool to use. Most pieces of content take a few seconds, and most are ready to publish.
4. The Social Media Playbook for Tourism Businesses
By Justin Buzzi
From somebody who has been there, done that: A repeatable playbook for tourism businesses to significantly enhance social media engagement and drive bookings. By focusing on consistent posting, leveraging organic performance for ad content, and experimenting with various formats, businesses can create a robust online presence. Understanding audience engagement, trends, and the importance of storytelling around experiences can lead to greater visibility and ultimately more bookings. This strategic approach transforms social media from a mere promotional tool into a powerful engine for customer connection.
AI wrote that. Can you tell? I won't do that again, but I do want to know if people know the difference.
5. Tripadvisor CEO Confidential Memo
By Dennis Schaal
Tripadvisor's CEO, Matt Goldberg, acknowledged in a confidential memo to employees the significant challenges faced by the company, including a decline in share prices and investor concerns over its legacy hotel business. This followed the letter from a shareholder which was a pretty scathing criticism of how the company is being run. It's been a few weeks now. The stock is at an all-time low. It's probably getting late for bold moves - we're more than 3 years into GenAI already, and Tripadvisor was always going to be impacted.
They have rewards now. Not sure if anybody uses it?
They have a Trip-planner too. Not as good as Mindtrip / Gemini / ChatGPT though.
6. ExperienceThis Podcast - Vibe-coding
More and more tour operators have started creating their own software. Sometimes to solve simple tools where no solution was available before. But also to replace more established software solutions. This is leading to the SaaSpocolypse, where Software-As-A-Service valuations have been collapsing (also a large part of why larger OTAs have lost valuation in the last year, according to those who know).
7. Search Slips, AI Surges: Phocuswright
Nearly 40% of U.S. travelers have turned to generative AI for trip research, marking a significant increase in adoption. This trend raises questions about the future of traditional search methods as younger demographics, particularly millennials, lead the charge. AI users tend to be higher earners who travel more frequently, indicating their growing influence on the market. While trust in AI-generated results is still developing, its rapid integration into the travel planning process signifies a shift in consumer behavior and resource reliance.
8. Running a Company on Markdown Files
By Brad Feld
I think most people don't know what a markdown file actually is. In reality, it's mostly just a simple text file with some basic formatting - but it's quietly becoming one of the most important formats in AI right now.
What this (technical) article is really saying is that you can (help) run your company with these files. Each one essentially describes a role, a responsibility, or a job to be done. And that's actually the fundamentally correct direction to be moving in - because when you have a simple text file that clearly describes what needs to be done, the AI has a pattern to follow.
It's also, if you didn't pick up on this angle... a very direct path to teaching the AI how to replace us.
9. Phocuswright - AI Marketing
Next week is the first Travel Marketing AI Summit by Phocuswright, in New York City. It looks to be a great line-up - quite a breadth of subjects covered. It's the first conference I've seen in this specific place. Reach out if you're attending. It's not too late to buy tickets.
10. IAAPA Expo Middle East - Cancelled
This was supposed to take place at the end of March in Abu Dhabi. Right now, ATM (Arabian Travel Market) is rescheduled for August. Nothing good to say about anything happening in the Middle East right now - and clearly terrible for the travel industry globally.