You're joining Trainline at a special time for the company: what's your roadmap?
Dick Wissink - I'm actually coming up to a key period as CaptainTrain has just rebranded. So we're in the process of bringing our teams and our offerings closer together. Trainline already had a BtoB team of around twenty people, with whom I work from Paris. The aim is to set up a unique offering in Europe. My first task is not to slow down CaptainTrain's momentum, particularly in the BtoC market, in France and elsewhere in Europe. The BtoB offering had already been launched a few months ago, so my mission is toaccelerate direct offeringsand to extend it in line with what already exists in the UK. Across the Channel, Trainline offers a product equivalent to our mid-market offering, with the addition of a specific offer dedicated to key accounts and business travel agencies (TMC), integrated with online booking tools (OBT). So my aim is twofold: to develop direct sales on the back of CaptainTrain, and developing partnerships with the business travel ecosystem based on the Trainline model.
In practical terms, how will the two solutions converge?
Dick Wissink - Trainline will feed off CaptainTrain content for areas outside the UK. Conversely, CaptainTrain will benefit from Trainline's financial resources and strike force. The teams are working to make the two platforms converge, initially in terms of content, and then in terms of the technological layers added to them.
the most downloaded travel application in the UK
Are the two players at the same level of technological maturity?
Dick Wissink - The CaptainTrain product has proved its worth on mobile phones. TrainLine is currently undergoing a transformation, but has already adapted to the specific characteristics of this channel. TrainLine is also the most downloaded travel application in the UKwith over 9 million users. So TrainLine has already made its technological move to mobile.
Can CaptainTrain's philosophy and start-up spirit survive as it becomes a European heavyweight?
Dick Wissink - By definition, a company that is bought out and rebranded is no longer the same. But the DNA of CaptainTrain is still there, and we hope that it can spread within TrainLine, which wants to become a European company.
How many business customers does TrainLine have on both sides of the Channel?
Dick Wissink - Business users who book via the B2C platform account for a good third of the audience. The situation is the same on the UK market, but these business users are more attracted by specific BtoB offers tailored to the needs of key accounts.
How much do you want to increase the number of business customers?
Dick Wissink - We don't really have that kind of objective. We want to fuel growth on both sides: leisure and business. In any case a real porosity between the two spheresIn fact, this is what has contributed to the success of CaptainTrain and TrainLine so far: travellers book via these tools on a personal basis, and don't see themselves doing anything else in the context of a business trip. When you manage to have this kind of relationship with users, it's very powerful...
Do you work a lot with agencies?
Dick Wissink - It starts in France, and is much more common in the UK, where we generate a significant proportion of our sales from agencies.
Is this a strategic lever for making a difference in today's BtoB market?
Dick Wissink - We have a good card to play live with our own tools, but it's clear that this will never address all needs. Some segments are very open to us directly, and I'm thinking in particular of public procurement, which doesn't interest the agencies very much. Many of them are looking for rail-based solutions: there are things we can do.
there's no reason for companies to stop travelling
Will direct distribution become the rule?
Dick Wissink - This is a phenomenon that is developing under the impetus of suppliers, but there will always be a place for aggregators like TMC and solution publishers. There is still a strong need for aggregation and advice on travel programmes. Even if travellers are being given more and more freedom.
What will Brexit mean for Trainline?
Dick Wissink - At the moment, everyone's asking the question, but no one really has an answer, insofar as we don't really know what it means in practical terms... At our level, people should continue to travel, there's no reason for companies to stop travelling.
