OLA Cabs Booking "App Only", Web Interface Shutting Down
@thebigk
•
Oct 26, 2024
Oct 26, 2024
1.6K
OLA Cabs is getting 99% of all their taxi cab bookings through the app and hence has decided that they will shut down the web interface in coming days. I believe OLA going App-Only is justified because in order to book a tab the mobile is the best option - it picks up your geo-coordinates, and all you need to do is simply confirm the booking. You don't have to fill big forms to make the booking.
In the recent times, Myntra was the first company to take a bold step of shutting down their web interface and go app-only. It's faced a lot of criticism since then and even resulted into loss of sales. <a href="https://www.crazyengineers.com/threads/flipkart-app-only-approach-is-wrong.81535">Flipkart 'App Only' Approach Is WRONG!</a> too had similar plans but is yet to act on them.
OLA earlier asked the users to dial a special phone number 33553355 to book the cabs; but now that may stop as well. Ola customer care has been asking users to download the iOS or Android app.
Switching to app only mode may result into expansion related challenges. Ola will be losing out on all the customers who use feature phones; which I believe is still a significantly large market in India. I'd rather hope that OLA will keep their book through phone call service on for all such people.
What do you think about the 'app only' strategy startups are adapting?
In the recent times, Myntra was the first company to take a bold step of shutting down their web interface and go app-only. It's faced a lot of criticism since then and even resulted into loss of sales. <a href="https://www.crazyengineers.com/threads/flipkart-app-only-approach-is-wrong.81535">Flipkart 'App Only' Approach Is WRONG!</a> too had similar plans but is yet to act on them.
OLA earlier asked the users to dial a special phone number 33553355 to book the cabs; but now that may stop as well. Ola customer care has been asking users to download the iOS or Android app.
Switching to app only mode may result into expansion related challenges. Ola will be losing out on all the customers who use feature phones; which I believe is still a significantly large market in India. I'd rather hope that OLA will keep their book through phone call service on for all such people.
What do you think about the 'app only' strategy startups are adapting?
