Nicolas Le Nue - Director of Global & Key Accounts Car at Expedia Group

Welcome to another episode of our podcast, hosted by Emmanuel Scuto, the CEO and founder of WeYield, the leading revenue management company specializing in the car rental industry.
Delves into a conversation with Nicolas Le Nue, Director of Global & Key Accounts Car at Expedia Group. They explore key factors behind Expedia's dominance in the travel and car rental markets, and the pivotal role of customer experience over mere pricing strategies.

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Key Discussion Points:

• Pricing Strategies: Nicolas discusses the detrimental cycle of perpetually lowering prices and how it adversely affects customer experience.
• Customer Experience: Recognized as the primary focus at Expedia, where enhancing customer satisfaction always takes precedence over competing on prices.
• Technological Advancements: The rise of contactless transactions, which not only boost customer loyalty but also open new avenues for upselling directly during the booking process.
• Emerging Markets: Insights into peer-to-peer platforms like Turo and the integration of electric vehicles (EV) into the mobility market.
• Corporate Culture and Vulnerability: Nicolas shares his philosophy on the importance of expressing vulnerability and the value of sharing diverse viewpoints, drawing from his extensive career starting from 1997 at Europcar to his strategic roles in the UK and with Ebooker (Orbitz Group).

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Market Challenges and Changes:

• The two-year pandemic significantly disrupted the supply side of car rentals, leading to older cars and reduced service quality as reported by customers, especially in the U.S. market since March 2020.
• Shifts in consumer preferences from price sensitivity to valuing flexible cancellation policies and vehicle sanitation post-pandemic.
• Discussion on the integration challenges faced by medium and local brands within Expedia’s platform due to technical constraints.
• Discover how Expedia continues to lead through innovation in customer experience and technology in this enlightening episode.

📌 Here's a glimpse into the enriching discussion:

• 0:00:00 to 0:10:00 Introduction of Nicolas Le Nue
• 0:10:00 to 0:18:10 Link between price and customer satisfaction at Expedia
• 0:18:10 to 0:36:25 Consumer changes since Covid started in March 2020
• 0:32:25 to 0:48:30 Contactless will be the next step to improve customer satisfaction
• 0:48:30 to O:53:35 Is it possible to be listed by Expedia if we are not a big brand?
• 0:53:35 to 0:58:40 Nicolas' perception of the mobility market with electric vehicles EV
• 0:58:40 to 1:10:05 Differences between a European and an American company
• 1:10:05 to the end conclusion