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Understanding OOSD:
A Primer for Travel Executives

The world of travel commerce is changing. With customer expectations running higher than ever – especially with hyper-personalisation – the global online travel market is projected to swell to $1,835.6 billion by 2030.

A vital form of customer experience journey mapping through which we view the world of online travel retail is OOSD. But what is this mysterious acronym, and how can travel commerce merchants leverage the concept to help their sales? In this primer, we’ll be breaking down all this, and explaining how to implement it in your enterprise. Read on.

What is OOSD?

In layman’s terms, ‘OOSD’ stands for: ‘Offer, Order, Settle, and Delivery’ – the four-step process that comprises the entire airline retail lifecycle. It is designed to help travel commerce merchants organise the various disparate systems of special offers, orders, payments, and deliveries that make up the day-to-day operations of their stores and services.

Offer
- The main goal of the Offer phase is to create customized offers for travellers, such as ticket costs, supplemental services (such as additional baggage, in-flight meals, or seat upgrades), and loyalty benefits. Airlines may provide dynamic, customised offers based on passenger preferences and booking history.
Order
- An offer becomes an order if it is accepted. Orders replace the conventional Passenger Name Record (PNR) system by combining all purchase information into a single record. This simplified method guarantees precise tracking and administration of consumer purchases, allowing airlines to offer superior customer care.
Settle
- Settlement guarantees the accurate reconciliation of all order-related financial transactions. This covers consumer payments, commissions, and other costs related to distribution networks. OOSD streamlines the settlement process by incorporating contemporary payment technology, which lowers errors and delays.
Delivery
- The last step is completing the order and delivering the acquired services, such as airline tickets, onboard amenities, and luggage handling. A smooth travel experience for clients is ensured by efficient delivery, which fosters trust and loyalty.

Integrating OOSD into your business

It’s clear that the OOSD framework can prove highly advantageous for those businesses who choose to adopt it. But integrating this concept into your operations and infrastructure can still prove highly challenging. The key to successfully adopting OOSD is to take yet another four-step approach:

Assess needs:
- Think hard about your business's specific challenges and how OOSD can help you overcome them.
Define goals:
- Set specific benchmarks to build a roadmap to success, and define quantifiable metrics to measure this.
Test:
- Begin by gradually introducing the OOSD framework into your operations in a test program.
Monitor:
- Assess the strengths and weaknesses of the program and to what extent your business has achieved its key metrics.
Iterate:
- Based on the feedback you have received from your initial implementation, work to continually improve your framework and introduce new systems to streamline and strengthen the process.

Ready your business for OOSD with Cellpoint

CellPoint Digital has a wealth of experience in helping travel commerce companies update their infrastructures and operations to achieve growth and greater profitability.

So, if you’d like our professional help with implementing OOSD into your business, then please get in touch with us right away.