Andrew Rowdon, owner of Andrew Rowdon Travel in Felixstowe, launched his wedding gift list service, Pandorrah, in 2012 and used a small business grant at the end of last year to develop an app version. 

Launched to the trade last month, the Pandorrah app allows clients to create a personalised wedding gift list for their friends and family to make contributions to.

Each list is tailored based on the customers’ destination and experience choices, with treats varying from airport lounge passes and flight upgrades to beach dinners and helicopter tours, and prices range from around £10 to £100.

Customers are able to share photos of themselves enjoying each gift as well as thank you messages on social media.

They can also access important travel documentation through the app, including Atol certificates, destination maps and hotel information, as well as emergency contact details and Foreign Office advice.

Advertising space on the app can be sold by the agent to local wedding suppliers to generate extra income, while digital donation receipts can be sponsored by wedding and honeymoon-specialist operators to help agents source new business leads.

Rowdon told TTG he had been able to double his 2019 honeymoon business so far this year as a result of the new app, adding that feedback from fellow agents who had signed up to use it “had been fantastic”.

“It’s very easy for agents to set up, and clients are able to manage it by themselves,” he said.

Since launching the app, Rowdon, who was named Top Agent of the Year and Homeworker of the Year at the 2019 TTG Travel Awards, has also adapted the platform to service his wider customer base with the creation of the Go Travel wallet.

“I’m now doing it for every booking and making sure their Atol certificate, invoices and receipts, useful links and destination advice are all in one place,” he explained.

Rowdon said he had “already had interest” from fellow agents and tour operators in using the technology, which he explained was “more environmentally-friendly” than traditional ticket wallets and allowed agents to cut down on printing costs and save time.

He described how clients of all ages were happy to use the digital wallet.

"More and more people are getting used to using it and older clients are really embracing it,” he said, adding how only a “very minimal amount” of physical wallets were now being sent out.

Interested agents can pay £10 per month to use Pandorrah, with their clients paying a fee to create their list, while users can access up to 100 wallets per month for £25 when using Rowdon’s Go Travel wallet, which comes with a month’s free trial.

“It’s massively helping my business,” he said. “It looks professional and can be easily kept up to date – which is incredibly useful for the times we live in.”