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WAP, Travel and the Future
My Trilogy of Intellectual Pain
by Jeremy French

It’s being touted by many throughout the ecommerce annals that the next wave of e-business will be thrust directly into our hands instead of resting gently on our laps. Using a broad array of wireless appliances, from Palms and Pocket PC’s to cell phones and dashboard displays, people will be taking the Web with them, logging in to exchange information and transact business. With this new world of easy-access online "joy," it’s probably no surprise that a wealth of questions have either been raised, need to be raised or need to be formulated by the world’s Web architects and software engineers (not to mention CEO’s and consumers alike). Whether BtoB or BtoC, every online marketplace represents a new challenge when introduced to the world of the handheld Web and the joys of the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

When considering the necessity or tangibility of the wireless Web, it might be beneficial to look into one of the markets capable of extracting the greatest benefit from handheld access: online travel. Online travel planning represents one of the fastest growing segments of ecommerce and the top players in the field might find just their future revenue models on the wireless Web. According to Jupiter Communications, online travel purchases will jump 70% this year to hit the $11 billion mark, or about 7.2% of total U.S. spending. With this figure pushing Web-based travel opportunities through the roof we might deduce that providers of travel related software and information are scrambling to board the wireless train before it disappears into the sunset. Not necessarily. WAP may be the new messiah for travel’s big showing, but the technology presents many challenges when actually putting it into a working model that consumers can use.

First off, let’s dive into the logistics of the new world of "pocket power"… Due to the need for space conscious design, wireless devices are by necessity small, and subsequently Web pages, artfully crafted for big, high-resolution monitors, will have to shift their design to a new realm of thought: simplicity.

The fact is, in order for handhelds to make their mark as the next step in simplifying the information exchange, we’ll have go back to the Web’s most simplistic roots, well before the days of Java and IPIX. Information will be delivered in small doses, using succinct text and diminutive icons and images. Due to the fact that mobile users are almost always in a hurry (one major premise of the mobile device) irrelevant content will find itself homeless in the wireless world. Website "bloat," now commonplace on most sites, won’t be tolerated. With this in mind, as long as it embraces the need for content-rich environments without all the fat, the online travel market is poised to drive the ultimate vehicle for the new information exchange: WAP.

What’s the buzz about Wireless Application Protocol? Simply put, WAP authenticates the wireless Web. The software that transforms wireless phones into Internet access devices is all based on WAP. WAP uses the Wireless Markup Language (WML) to render pages that can be displayed in WAP browsers. WML is a version of HDML and WMLScript, a compact language similar to JavaScript that runs in limited memory. These languages deliver the content over handheld communication devices. WAP is specifically designed for diminutive screens and simple navigation without being directed by a keyboard or mouse. WML is extremely flexible within the inherent constraints and it’s scaleable from simple two-line text displays up to graphic-infused ("lightly" infused) screens found on Palms, WAP-enabled phones and other handheld communicators.

Companies have dumped huge piles of VC cash into tuning site architecture and design to make their pages hot and sticky; one of the biggest hurdles in pushing any industry on the Web, with picture-friendly travel in mind, is the concept that Webmasters will need to shift and retool their sites to accommodate the move to graphically-simple interfaces. "Fat" sites will have to slim down the graphical concept and start appealing to a new breed of user… two site formats for one domain will become commonplace, just as Java and Non-Java formats are often seen throughout many sites today. Though a definite 180-degree swing from today, it’s quite feasible that 3-5 years from now, wireless sites will have to be retrofitted for desktop users.

According to a new study by International Data Corp (IDC), by the middle of 2001, the primary venue for Internet access will be through wireless devices. As graphic-heavy sites won’t be able to push their catchy fodder through a 2"x2" screen, information services and destination guides will thrive under the text-friendly format. Analysts are now estimating 1 billion wireless users as well as another billion Internet users globally by 2002. While the number of people using the Internet via handheld devices sits at about 60,000 today, telecommunications analysts predict that number will easily rise to some 25 million people in the United States by 2002. According to The Yankee Group all of this translates directly into big money with the wireless data market expected to grow from a current figure of $1.8 billion to $13.2 billion by 2003.

In terms of travel-specific information, these figures translate into serious changes for the way information is disseminated, as well as what type of information is being created and why. While photos of your favorite hot spot are an excellent way to sell the countryside and beaches, it’s the opinionated editorial and local insight that will give your site gravity while increasing your word-of-mouth marketing. It’s a well-known fact that there’s a very specific breed of global trekker that would rather swim across the British Channel naked than be caught dead in a tour group. To these individuals, well-crafted writing and ingenious suggestions is the key to an exciting and original adventure overseas. Even with the overbearing surge of technology available to us, you just can’t beat a simple, compelling piece of prose - the perfect offering for the WAP Gods.

Wireless devices are being championed as the device of the future as service providers attempt to encourage customers to use the Web for customer service, account information and access to personalized information portals. Aside from any benefits to the potentially text-friendly travel industry, we’re likely to see a variety of vendors using the power of wireless devices to prompt consumers to buy a whole slew of products and services over their WAP phones - notification services will allow vendors to push the use of the wireless Internet to conduct a variety of business. We’ve already heard predictions that we might see the birth of an invasive form of "purchase-prompting" on the part of retailers as they detect a wireless-toting customer entering their store or merely walking past it. "Step inside for a $2 discount on your next Starbucks purchase of $5 or more." Combined with GPS systems, this feature could help a WAP-guided traveler find that beautiful little coffee house she just passed on the street.

True, the Orwellians in the audience are starting to soil their pants at the thought of your phone prompting you to pick up the GAP’s hot new Capri pants, however, we’ll no doubt see a variety of ways to avoid this form of invasion and actually make it seem like an advantage to be a consumer outfitted with the latest handheld technology. For example, devices could provide "hot specials access" giving consumers the option of requesting or accepting promotions and sales pitches. This type of opt-in marketing is likely to spell big revenue and serious customer gravity. Taking it one step further in simplifying the consumer’s Web experience, businesses could also allow purchases to be made using WAP phones, which would subsequently be charged directly to the customer’s online account or phone bill. After all, in this gadget-heavy, overly busy day and age, we haven’t the time for those pesky dinosaurs known as stamps and "billings."

While not everyone will see the direct rewards from the growth in wireless use, technologically savvy travelers will quietly take the benefits in hand (yes, it was intended). One of the relatively untapped benefits of the Web, in relation to travel, is the ability to provide up-to-date destination information - in text form. True, we can pick up a guide from Barnes & Noble, but what information will it contain? Chances are it will be drafted by a self-proclaimed worldly traveler who hands out their favorite picks for scenic spots to see, restaurants to partake of and no doubt the best places to park your toosh at night. In retaliation to the "standard fare," sites like WhereNext.com have tapped into the Web’s mother load of information-hungry consumers by identifying an actual "need" in the travel market: real-time destination information written by people who not only represent the same social demographic but also live in the city they’re writing about. Updated club listings as well as local activities guides are the perfect fodder for a handheld device - as long as they remain text based and readily accessible. However, this opens up an entirely new question: "How do we make money with content?"

How much are consumers willing to pay for information? Chances are they’ll pony-up a small chunk of change for customized information that’s updated daily, as long as it remains a tool they can use and information that they actually need. Is it worth the same price as a subscription to Maxim or EWeek? In the case of WhereNext.com’s customers, they’ll be using their handhelds overseas to guide them to various locales and establishments that have been listed on the site as definite must-sees. It’s obviously much handier for a consumer to use a single device that can be manipulated and augmented then a stack of soggy papers stuffed in a backpack, however the question remains: "will consumers be willing to pay $1 or $5 every single time they sit down at an internet café to download new information?" It’s probably more feasible for them to buy a single software license or membership that can be accessed without any worries about the site dipping into their checking account every time they add another great spot to scam a bagel.

Revenue models aside, wireless manufacturers will grow significantly as the popularity of WAP grows; in fact, numerous companies such as Sony and Nokia have already adopted support of the Palm OS and the list is growing. It looks as if carriers will be able to profit through transaction fees and partnered BtoB arrangements; there’s little doubt that both traditional and Web retailers can devise a variety of methods to promote over a WAP interface. As with Palm and the potential travel model presented earlier, software companies, Websites and credit card firms will also have a new source of revenue.

The potential benefits of the wireless, handheld world to online travel are huge; the type of change that could result in a sweeping change of the current information exchange models. With an emphasis shifting to content availability, reliability and quality versus transportation and hotel booking, wireless appliances will transform the Internet from a comfortably "numb" page-by-page experience to a set of specialized, customized tools directed totally by the user. Through advanced intelligence coming through software development, users will gain what seems to be greater control of the Web. Whether perceived or not, this increased user control will mark a gigantic shift in the further development of the Internet. WAP devices have the potential to be the true forerunner of what promises to be an onslaught of innovative technologies that could forever change the way we access, navigate and utilize the Internet.