You operate a Sporting Lodge, Ranch or Outfitting business and you have long since stopped asking “why” technology matters to your success, and your focus is all about “how”. For you, software is a tool, and like any other, you understand it is only as good as how well a person uses it. With this in mind, you invested your time and money to find the best software fit, learned how to use it, and trained your team to do the same. With all those boxes checked, it makes perfect sense to expect a healthy return on your technology investment.
For Sporting Lodge Lodges, Ranches, and Outfitters that spend anywhere from $5K to $25K per year on specialized software systems, the question of value is not determined solely on price. The performance, profitability, and year over year growth of the revenue channels the software is designed to support must also be factored into the equation. It is only from this perspective an operator can truly measure the net financial impact technology has to their bottom-line.
Expect technology to drive profitability for your sporting lodge, ranch or outfitting business in these ways and more:
Increase Direct Bookings
You’ve had booking agent partners and travel wholesaler relationships for as long as you can remember. Yes, you saved a lot on marketing expenses in that time, and you paid a lot in booking commissions. When commissions were 10 and 15% this strategy was more palatable, but with industry expectations pushing for 20% and higher, why not consider a strategy that takes out the middleman? Technology has enormous potential for helping sporting lodges, ranches, and outfitters increase their volume of direct bookings. With the potential of saving $10K in commissions for every $100K in packages sold, it is reasonable to expect ROI in the first year the technology is deployed. Additionally, rather than placing it in the hands of a 3rd party, it’s advantage for the lodge, ranch, or outfitter to own the guest relationship, and also takes the complications out of booking repeat business, and saving commission fees year over year.
Reduced Credit Card Processing Fees
ERP (Enterprise Resource Planner) and PMS (Property Management Software) systems with FinTech capabilities and digital payment processing can sometimes have the immediate impact of reducing your annual expenses for credit card fees. This is because the technology supports running a higher volume of your credit card transactions, more efficiently, at your processor’s lowest cost. Circumstances vary from business to business, but for many the swing can mean ~$5,000 to ~$20,000 in your favor, and in the best cases a net positive that more than covers the annual cost of your software subscription service.
Bolster Accounting and Financial Reporting
PCI Compliant Transactions, Automated Payments, On-Demand Income & Revenue Reports, Automated Correspondence, and API integrations with QuickBooks Online, will bolster your Accounting workflows and lower your overall administrative costs. Leverage analytics and generate comparison reports to make data-backed decisions regarding rates, occupancy, revenue targets by season, and topline annual forecasts. Technology will facilitate more strategic decisions, mitigate human error, protect confidentiality, and streamline your guest’s invoicing and billing experience. The cumulative effect of these operational gains is yet another tactic sporting lodges, ranches, and outfitting businesses can use to employ technology to drive profitability.
We provide software that increases sales and profitability for the adventure travel and outdoor recreation industry.
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