As athletic departments navigate the House v. NCAA revenue-sharing mandates, innovative loyalty monetization is key. Waypoint's multi-tenant platform offers a pathway by inviting alumni and fans to redirect travel budgets to university-branded portals, splitting net revenue after transaction and platform costs. Understanding household budgets by career stage reveals travel's flexibility, while examining booking habits shows how Waypoint disrupts high-marketing-spend incumbents.
Household Budgets: Travel's Place Across Life Stages
U.S. households averaged $77,280 in annual expenses in 2023 (BLS data), with allocations varying by age. Below are standardized profiles for Power 4 alumni, adjusted for typical incomes and incorporating major categories like housing & maintenance, transportation & fuel, food, savings & investments, healthcare, entertainment, apparel, education, philanthropy & donations, travel, and other/miscellaneous. These are approximate based on BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey patterns, showing percentages and dollar amounts that sum to total expenditures.
- Recent Graduates (22-30): With approximately $60,000 income and total expenses around $50,000: Housing & Maintenance ($17,500 or 35%), Transportation & Fuel ($8,000 or 16%), Food ($6,500 or 13%), Savings & Investments ($5,000 or 10%), Healthcare ($3,000 or 6%), Entertainment ($2,500 or 5%), Apparel ($1,500 or 3%), Education ($1,000 or 2%), Philanthropy & Donations ($500 or 1%), Travel ($2,000 or 4%), Other/Miscellaneous ($2,500 or 5%).
- Mid-Career Graduates (31-50): With approximately $100,000 income and total expenses around $80,000: Housing & Maintenance ($28,000 or 35%), Transportation & Fuel ($12,800 or 16%), Food ($10,400 or 13%), Savings & Investments ($8,000 or 10%), Healthcare ($4,800 or 6%), Entertainment ($4,000 or 5%), Apparel ($2,400 or 3%), Education ($1,600 or 2%), Philanthropy & Donations ($2,400 or 3%), Travel ($3,200 or 4%), Other/Miscellaneous ($2,400 or 3%).
- Older Graduates (51+): With $120,000+ income and total expenses around $70,000: Housing & Maintenance ($21,000 or 30%), Transportation & Fuel ($10,500 or 15%), Food ($9,100 or 13%), Savings & Investments ($14,000 or 20%), Healthcare ($7,000 or 10%), Entertainment ($3,500 or 5%), Apparel ($1,400 or 2%), Education ($700 or 1%), Philanthropy & Donations ($3,500 or 5%), Travel ($6,000+ or 6%), Other/Miscellaneous ($4,900 or 7%).
Travel ranks mid-pack but is highly shiftable—unlike fixed housing or food, it's aspirational and marketing-responsive.
How Lodging is Booked: Market Shares and Inefficiencies
U.S. lodging bookings (~$600B in 2023) split as:
- OTAs (Expedia, Booking.com): 40% share; convenience via comparisons.
- Direct to Hotels: 30%; loyalty programs retain users.
- Vacation Rentals (Airbnb, VRBO): 20%; group/family focus.
- Credit Card Portals: 5-10%; rewards-based.
- Agencies: <5%; niche for complex travel.
These channels spent massively on marketing: Booking Holdings $6.8B (2023), Expedia $6B, Airbnb $1.7B—total $16.8B for OTAs alone. This $17B+ annual war for customers highlights acquisition costs (e.g., $15-50 per booking via ads), ripe for new ways to address audience needs and an indicator of low affinity for any one platform.
Waypoint's Strategy: Shifting Wallet Share Leveraging Fan Loyalty
Waypoint's white label portals mimic an OTA user experience but offer 10-20% discounts via membership driven "closed user groups," fostering loyalty without high ad spend. Universities work with Waypoint's team to market to their already engaged networks, keeping acquisition costs low while sharing revenues. Even a small shift from OTAs would yield millions per visionary school—generating sustainable, consistent funding in the revenue-share era.
Footnotes
- BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey, 2023.
- Statista, Phocuswright, 2023 Market Reports.
- PhocusWire, Skift, 2023-2024 Analyses.