Internet marketing, online booking, online ticket sales applications: A study on intercity coach companies in Marmara and Aegean regions

According to the latest data, the number of the internet users around the word is now passed over 2 billion. Increase in the internet users led to the rise of the commercial use of internet. Internet provides extraordinary opportunities, specially for the companies. Internet becomes a valuable tool to reach foreign markets and gain competitive advantage in global world, if it is used in correct way and in full potential. The commercial use of the internet is not limited with companies, and it is preferred by the end- consumers in significant numbers. For today?s businesses, it is very important to use the internet accurately and effectively to gain success.Online booking system is one of most important methods used by companies to sell commercial services over the internet. In the past, online booking systems only provided a service for purchasing a ticket over the internet. Today, it has been developed further and offer separate services for reserving a seat and purchasing a ticket.In this study, online reservation (reserving a seat over the internet) and online ticket sales services (purchasing a ticket over internet) of the intercity coach companies has been examined. Passenger transportation by intercity coaches forms a very large part of the transport sector in Turkey and it is a very competitive market.This study analyzes the effectiveness and scale of the online booking system, which can be used as an important tool to connect companies to the consumers. This study also includes a number of recommendations and guiding tips for the businesses who carry out similar activities over the internet.Keywords: Internet Marketing, Online Booking, Online Ticket Sales, Intercity Coach Companies