Zuji.com: A new travel website proclaiming itself 'the only one-stop travel portal dedicated to Asia-Pacific travellers seeking their own unique travel journeys'.
Functionally, Zuji offers everything expected from a travel website - flights, hotels, car rental, links to travel-related resources, and a section with discount deals.
From a brand identity perspective, the logo is simple and clean, and the design and layout is pleasant enough, though the homepages were cluttered with too many promotional offerings for my liking.
Yet beyond the functional, I found nothing really driving me to want to use Zuji, and having lived in and travelled throughout the region for most of the last decade I would consider myself one of their prime targets.
This looks like just another travel website.
The planning tool worked well enough under use, but I found the level of detail in the various options from my searches taking considerable time to evaluate - different airlines, schedules, fare structures, alternative routes, departure and return date options, etc. Many users will find this useful, but I found it a hassle. I'd rather someone else took care of it - like a real live travel agent (remember them?).
Also, on many routes I checked, Zuji offered exactly the same air fares as the airlines themselves. Why use a middle-man? Ultimately, without an economic incentive, strong brand or positive historical experience, I found little compelling reason to use Zuji.com.
