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Moving away from the classic wedding gift list has led agency owner Andrew Rowdon to offer clients, and other agents, something different. Abra Dunsby reports.
The days when couples would ask for a toaster or a microwave as a wedding gift are long gone. Andrew Rowdon, owner of Andrew Rowdon Travel in Felixstowe, Suffolk, has cottoned on to the shift in behaviour to offer his clients an alternative to the classic gift list.
He launched his wedding gift list service, Pandorrah, back in 2012, and it’s since proved so successful that he’s now selling it to other travel agents after presenting the system to members of The Travel Network Group at its conference last May.
Rowdon says his gift list is unique as it can be fully tailored to the couple, depending on the destination they plan to visit and the experiences they’d like to add on.
Guests can purchase everything from flights, to safari day trips, to food and drink experiences, with prices ranging from £10 to around £100.
“In my experience, couples want money for their honeymoon, but they don’t like to ask for it,” says Rowdon. “Guests don’t like being asked for it either – there’s an element of awkwardness about it.”
More than 60 couples have now used Rowdon’s gift list service and 10 travel agents have signed up to use it in their own businesses.
Couples opting for the Pandorrah service are given a QR code to access their list, or they can view it online, to see how much money is in their account and which guests have paid for which experiences.
Rowdon has also recently added the facility for couples to upload a photo of themselves on honeymoon enjoying activities that guests have paid for, which can then be emailed in place of a traditional thank you card.
“Couples have said that their guests really feel part of the whole honeymoon experience,” says Rowdon.
As of September last year, additions to the gift list include the ability for guests to buy airport lounge access from Lounge Pass and DK Publishing travel guides. Attraction World and Holiday Extras are now also onboard.
“The plan is to create a round-up of the top attractions in destination and put that on clients’ gift lists so that agents can book the add-ons for them,” explains Rowdon.
Pandorrah has also helped Rowdon to secure plenty of new business. “It’s a massive draw for couples when we do wedding fairs – we often start a conversation by talking about the gift list.”
Rowdon attends around 12 wedding fairs a year, gaining an average of 20 bookings from the gift list.
“If we’re selling a honeymoon of around £6,000 and we’re multiplying that by 20, that’s the difference between me doing OK in a year, and well,” he explains.
Speaking about its success, Rowdon says: “So far, clients adore it and lots have done testimonials for us. “We’re starting to find that agents are seeing it as a really useful tool for winning a booking.”
Through The Travel Network Group, Rowdon is currently in conversations with a group of homeworkers to set them up on the platform.
He also has plans to extend his gift list further and is in talks with retail companies to add travel items such as cameras, walking shoes and safari equipment.
“The gift list is a real USP and it is providing me and other travel agents with the tools to sell more,” he says.
