RedBalloon
RedBalloon is an Australian e-commerce marketplace that aggregates 1,600+ curated experiences (dining, adventure, wellness, getaways, classes) from third-party operators and sells them as gift vouchers and packages to individual consumers and corporate clients across Australia and New Zealand.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersPyrmont, Australia
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
RedBalloon firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RedBalloon
- Legal name
- RedBalloon
- Website
- https://redballoon.com.au
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- RedBalloon is an Australian e-commerce marketplace that aggregates 1,600+ curated experiences (dining, adventure, wellness, getaways, classes) from third-party operators and sells them as gift vouchers and packages to individual consumers and corporate clients across Australia and New Zealand.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where RedBalloon is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Pyrmont
- HQ country
- Australia
- HQ region
- Oceania
Offices1 record
Markets served
RedBalloon business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Experience Marketplace Sales: RedBalloon acts as a marketplace platform, selling curated experiences from third-party operators to consumers. Revenue is generated through transaction fees and margins on each experience sold. The company curates and aggregates experiences from local operators across Australia.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual experience purchases ranging from budget to luxury |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Gift vouchers with 5-year validity |
| Subscription | Annual | Subscription/loyalty program (Insider) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels10 records
RedBalloon product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RedBalloon is an Australian online marketplace that curates and sells experiential activities and gift vouchers, aggregating over 1,600 experiences (flying, dining, driving, wellness, adventure) from hundreds of local operators. It sells directly to consumers seeking experience gifts and to businesses for employee recognition and client gifting.
Product overview
RedBalloon operates as an experience gifting marketplace and e-commerce platform, part of the Big Red Group portfolio. The core product is the RedBalloon Experience Gifting Platform, which enables consumers and businesses to purchase gift vouchers and gift cards for experiential activities. The platform aggregates thousands of experience providers across categories including Flying, Wine & Dine, Driving, Getaways, Cruises, Spa & Wellness, Animals, Water Sports, Aboriginal experiences, Outdoor activities, Entertainment & Culture, Adventure Sports, and Classes & Courses. The product ecosystem includes Corporate Gifting Solutions (an add-on for business clients), Nature Boss (eco-focused sub-brand), Experiences for Two (couple-oriented category), and Online Experiences (remote/virtual offerings). The RedBalloon Insider subscription program provides ongoing customer engagement with exclusive discounts and early access to promotions. RedBalloon also operates a New Zealand site alongside its primary Australian operations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- RedBalloon Experience Gifting Platform Core e-commerce marketplace for browsing, purchasing, and gifting experiential activities including adventures, dining, spa treatments, getaways, and educational classes across Australia and New Zealand, aggregating thousands of experience providers.
- Gift Vouchers Digital and physical gift vouchers available in various denominations with 5-year validity, allowing recipients to choose their own experience from the marketplace.
- Gift Cards Prepaid gift cards that can be redeemed for experiences on the RedBalloon platform, presented in card format.
- Corporate Gifting Solutions Business-focused gifting offering bulk purchasing, client gifting, employee recognition awards, team building experiences, conference gifts, and promotional gifting packages for corporate clients.
- Nature Boss Nature and eco-focused experience collection under the RedBalloon portfolio featuring environmentally conscious experiences.
- Online Experiences Virtual and at-home experiences that can be enjoyed remotely, including online classes, virtual tastings, and digital activities.
- RedBalloon Insider Subscription Email subscription and loyalty program offering exclusive discounts such as $30 off for new subscribers, early access to sales, monthly prize draws, and special promotional offers.
Quantifiable outcome
- 5+ million experiences delivered since founding in 2001
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use RedBalloon
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
RedBalloon technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature3 records
RedBalloon partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered parent and core.
- Big Red GroupparentRedBalloon is part of the Big Red Group, a parent company that owns multiple experience brands including RedBalloon. The group provides shared infrastructure, supplier networks, and corporate services across its portfolio companies. Founder Naomi Simson co-founded the Big Red Group.
- Experience Operators (Varies by Region)coreRedBalloon aggregates experiences from hundreds of local experience operators across Australia. Operators include wineries, adventure companies, hotels, restaurants, wellness centers, and activity providers. RedBalloon resells these experiences to consumers through its marketplace platform.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
RedBalloon competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- GetYourGuide: Global tours, activities, and experiences marketplace backed by major travel investors. Competes with RedBalloon on tours and activities discovery with significantly larger supplier breadth and platform scale.
- Airbnb Experiences: Experience-discovery layer within Airbnb's global travel platform, leveraging the host network and booking infrastructure. An incumbent that competes for the same consumer experiences wallet as RedBalloon with materially larger distribution.
- Fever: Global experiences platform operating in major cities across entertainment, food, and immersive events. Overlaps with RedBalloon on third-party experience discovery and ticketing, but at much broader scale and with a different category mix skewed to urban events.
- Viator: Tripadvisor-owned global tours and activities marketplace with deep inventory across destinations. Adjacent in the experience-discovery category with incumbent scale and the Tripadvisor traffic flywheel.
- Groupon: Global deals marketplace with a long-running experiences/local activities vertical. Competes with RedBalloon on price-driven experience discovery, though Groupon serves a much broader and discount-led assortment of merchants.
Direct peers
- Classbento: Australian online marketplace for workshops, classes, and experience gift vouchers. Operates the same direct-to-consumer experience-gifting model in the same Australian geography, making it the closest domestic comparable to RedBalloon.
- Tinggly: Global experience-gifting brand selling vouchers redeemable across a curated worldwide operator network. Identical marketplace mechanics (voucher-issuance, operator aggregation, experience-led gifting) to RedBalloon with international reach.
- Cloud 9 Living: US-based curated experience-gifting retailer bundling thousands of activities from third-party operators. Closely mirrors RedBalloon's business model (curated marketplace, gift vouchers, third-party delivery), making it a direct functional peer despite the geographic difference.
- Experience Days: UK's leading experience-days retailer offering vouchers across categories including flying, driving, dining, and short breaks. Operates the same curated experience-gifting model with 1,000+ operator partners, comparable on every dimension except geography.
Regional players
- Klook: Asia-Pacific-focused travel experiences and activities platform with operator network concentrated in APAC destinations. Comparable on marketplace model and category mix, but with limited Australian supply relative to RedBalloon's localized depth.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
RedBalloon social profiles
Digital presenceRedBalloon financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RedBalloon leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
RedBalloon funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RedBalloon M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about RedBalloon
What does RedBalloon do?
RedBalloon is an Australian online marketplace that curates and sells experiential activities and gift vouchers, aggregating over 1,600 experiences (flying, dining, driving, wellness, adventure) from hundreds of local operators. It sells directly to consumers seeking experience gifts and to businesses for employee recognition and client gifting.
Is RedBalloon a public or private company?
RedBalloon is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was RedBalloon founded?
RedBalloon was founded in 2001. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is RedBalloon based?
RedBalloon is headquartered in Pyrmont, Australia, in the Oceania region.
How does RedBalloon make money?
One revenue line is on record: experience Marketplace Sales.
Who are RedBalloon's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are GetYourGuide, Airbnb Experiences, Fever, Viator and Groupon. Direct peers are Classbento, Tinggly, Cloud 9 Living and Experience Days. Klook is listed as a regional player.
Does RedBalloon have an API?
No public API is recorded for RedBalloon.