Cognizant will work alongside Big Red Group to power its marketplace capabilities to create a seamless end-to-end customer journey

February 23, 2023 – Australia and New Zealand’s largest experience marketplace, Big Red Group, has engaged global IT services company, Cognizant, to transform its digital platforms in support of its national and international growth ambitions. This follows the rapid acquisition of multiple businesses in the travel and experiences sector over the last five years. Cognizant will provide consulting, technology, operations, program and management services.

Partner to over 3,000 experience suppliers across Australia and New Zealand, Big Red Group sees the value in creating local partnerships and relationships with co-located experience providers. As part of the five-year digital transformation project, Cognizant is to implement a new technology stack expected to drive conversion uplift, improve the customer and supplier end-to-end experience and provide a scalable platform for growth.

The consolidation and transformation of Big Red Group’s platforms is anticipated to reduce siloes across the business which will provide the foundation of streamlining its business, ready for growth. In addition, the digital transformation of Big Red Group entities, including the redesign of consumer marketplaces including RedBalloon, Adrenaline and ExperienceOz, should drive efficiencies through operations, allowing the business to evolve its products more rapidly and efficiently, as well as enable transactions for activity and experience suppliers.

Big Red Group Chief Executive Officer, David Anderson, comments:

“In the current volatile economy, finding an ally that has the scale to weather the storm with you, with a breadth of services and capabilities to help you rapidly optimise cost to serve is critical. To find an ally that will then invest alongside you, take risk on their ability to partner and transform, to explore new opportunities on an innovative commercial basis, and to jointly commit to ESG outcomes that aligns with your purpose - priceless. Cognizant demonstrated all of these and we’re excited to start off the year alongside them.”

Cognizant Head of Consulting ANZ, George Evans comments:

“Our expertise in the retail and travel industry is a great example of how our collaboration with Big Red Group can help it scale as an ANZ business, globally. Combine this with Cognizant’s strong digital and technology capabilities, this is the beginning of a relationship founded on great chemistry and cultural alignment. The team at Cognizant looking forward to working with Big Red Group over the coming years and help the online marketplace achieve its growth objectives.”

Founded in 2017, Big Red Group has experienced exponential growth over the past five years, driven by acquisitions of RedBalloon (2017), Adrenaline (2018), Lime & Tonic (2019) and Experience Oz & Experience Oz Local Agent (2021).