Vaccine Slot Finder Introduced by Ixigo - The Hype
Ixigo, a travel e-commerce website, recently introduced a ‘vaccine slot finder’ tool. The tool was integrated into their flights & trains app. the users can view the availability of vaccine slots in real-time directly from the government website- CoWin.gov.
ixigo was founded in 2007 by Aloke Bajpai and Rajnish Kumar as a mobile travel search marketplace. It makes use of AI technology and is funded by 6 investors including Sequia Capital India and Fosun RZ Capital.
It was becoming difficult for people to schedule an appointment for vaccination as the slots get filled up very fast and there was a shortage of vaccines till recently. This tool which can be easily accessed by the users by going into the ‘what’s new’ section of the app allows the user to find the slot more comfortably.
The app provides the ‘Find vaccine slot’ option in its What’s new section. It will show the vaccines available currently once you enter the pin code and your age group. the app also lets the user choose the vaccine based on whether it is Covishield or Covaxin and whether you prefer paid or free vaccine centre.
The app will direct the user to the website if slots are readily available. The user can choose the ‘notify me’ option in case they wish to be notified when the vaccine slot is available. this will help them in case the slots are not readily available.
According to Rajnish Kumar, CTO and director of ixigo, this will enable their users to get vaccinated without any technical complications. It is their way of contributing to the government’s decision to speed up mass vaccinations.
Many experts and startups like Paytm, Signzy, BANKIT, Legality, Get Jab, Whatsapp and Facebook, have also introduced their apps for helping users schedule an appointment for their vaccination when slots are available.
Ixigo is a platform that utilises AI technology to collect and then compare real-time travel information to make it easy for users to make their travel plans. The users need not go through much information and travel contracts while using ixigo. They compare the data collected with the prices and the availability of buses, trains, cabs, flights and hotel packages to make it easier for their users to plan their journey.