Announcing Our Private Beta: What We've Learned

100 beta testers, 500+ itineraries, 72 NPS. Here's what early users love — and what we're improving for launch.

The Beta by Numbers

Three months ago, we opened our private beta to 100 travellers. Here's what happened:

• 500+ itineraries generated — spanning 87 cities across 34 countries
• 72 NPS (Net Promoter Score) — well above the travel industry average of 45
• 68% activation rate — percentage of sign-ups who generated at least one itinerary
• 4.2 itineraries per active user — strong repeat engagement
• Zero safety incidents — our AI safety protocols performed flawlessly

What Users Love

We surveyed beta testers and asked what they valued most. The top responses:

• Speed: "I typed '3 days in Porto on a budget' and had a full itinerary in 2 seconds. That's magic."
• Personalisation: "It remembered I'm vegetarian from a previous conversation and adjusted all restaurant recommendations."
• Hidden gems: "The AI suggested a local dim sum place in Hong Kong that wasn't on any blog I'd read."
• No ads or commissions: "Unlike every other travel site, the recommendations felt genuinely unbiased."

What We're Fixing

Beta testers also identified areas for improvement:

• Booking integration (top request by far): Users want to book flights and hotels directly from their itinerary. We're integrating with Skyscanner and Booking.com APIs for Q3.
• Offline mode: Travellers want access to their itineraries without data connectivity. Mobile app with offline sync is in development.
• Group planning: Coordinating multi-person trips is painful. We're building a shared itinerary feature where our AI reconciles everyone's preferences.
• More visual output: Users requested maps, photos, and richer formatting in generated itineraries.

"One user told us that RIVE ET saved her 6 hours of research time for a 2-week Japan trip. That's the kind of impact we're aiming for — turning travel planning from a chore into a conversation."

Surprising Findings

Not everything went as expected. Three surprises from our beta data:

1. Users prefer shorter itineraries. We initially designed for ultra-detailed day-by-day plans, but users consistently preferred 5-7 recommendations per city with flexibility to explore.
2. Budget travellers are our power users. We expected luxury travel planners to dominate, but budget-conscious users generate 3x more itineraries.
3. Emoji-enhanced itineraries have higher satisfaction. A/B testing showed that AI-generated itineraries with emoji markers for food (🍜), attractions (🏛️), and transport (🚆) scored 12% higher in user satisfaction.

What's Next

Based on beta feedback, here's our priority roadmap for the next 6 months:

• Expand to 200+ destinations with richer local knowledge
• Real-time pricing integration so every recommendation reflects current prices
• Social sharing — share your itinerary with friends, get their input, iterate together
• Public launch — we're targeting summer 2026 for full release

Want to join the beta? Sign up here — we're adding 50 new testers each week.

SIKDORAK LIMITED — Company № 15834204.

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