Ask IH: How would you monetize a ride sharing service for skiers?
Skipool is a niche product that I've been iterating on for some 8 years now. It has always served a purpose for the select few that used it. The purpose being connecting people who'll travel to a place where you can ski with people who also want to go there. Letting people meet like minded individuals, spend time outdoors while also reducing the number of cars travelling.
For this latest iteration I decided to once and for all give it a real shot at being a service people (more than the "select few") use and love.
However I'm fully aware that a service can't exist without an inkling of a business model. Being a developer by trade this isn't really where my strengths are so I'm trying to explore ideas and options.
The user journey can be described as:
- Authenticate yourself (Signup/Login)
- Create or Find a trip
- Add a car or book a seat in one
- Go on the trip and meet awesome people
- Repeat
Note: the app is still under construction at this time and progress can be seen at https://wip.chat/products/647
A few quick ideas (from someone who doesn't know much about skiing):
-Use the database of skiers to offer special deals. It may be possible for you to make money by referring costumers to hotels, cabins, ski resorts, ski shops, online ski stores, etc.
-Offer another type of service that skiers might be interested in. Can you plan a trip for first timers? Plan a special weekend to meet new skiers?
-Sell skiing products that you recommend (or create).
Thank you! All great ideas and I feel they're possible to implement on top of the regular application.
The part of selling trips (experiences) I've also been thinking about. Then making the application a platform for discovering and booking such things.