Travel planning has evolved over the years. Most travellers no longer depend on travel companies for recommendations on where they should travel. In many cases, they don’t even depend on them when it comes to booking their travel. They generally do their bookings online and are spoilt for choice when it comes to deciding on which portal to book from. As the Online Travel Market Report published by Allied Market Research, the global market for online travel is expected to garner $1,091 billion by 2022.
So, where does that leave the OTAs in their ability to influence customers? The truth is that there is still plenty of opportunity. While travellers may not require vanilla booking services, they still look for customized itineraries and unique experiences designed just for them. This is where travel companies tend to have maximum experience.
But in order to make customized recommendations, there needs to be enough data and insights to be able to make the right recommendations that can potentially translate into a sale. In order to do this, the best strategy is to identify the various travel planning touchpoints and find ways to influence them through data.
Moments that Shape Traveller Journey
Inspiration:
Social media and online portals are almost always the inspiration for today’s traveller. You see a friend’s social media post or read an interesting online article or see an experiential article on the travel group that you are a part of. For a travel organisation, engaging at this stage by offering attractive deals or customized itineraries could help boost interest and help in conversion.
Discovery:
During the discovery stage, travellers will typically search for options either through Meta search or Online Travel Agents (OTA) or travel review sites etc. At this stage, consistent omnichannel engagement, with a convenient shopping cart as well as recommendations can boost sales.
Sale:
At the time of making the purchase, travel companies can try to sweeten the deal through online banking or reward points. Allowing flexible payment options such as a multiple-currency payment gateway, ensuring PCI DSS etc. can also encourage purchase.
Post booking engagement:
After the sale is made, it is a great time to engage through notifications, reminders etc. Useful data insights combined with context can help drive better engagement and provide several opportunities to cross-sell and upsell. Proactive Disruption Management is another key function to fulfil during this time.
During the trip:
During travel, travelers are very receptive to new information that helps them explore local activities, look for guides etc. For example, a Destination App can improve engagement and boost revenue opportunities.
Subsequent Engagement:
Most travelers these days are likely to share, refer and review information. Through continued engagement such as soliciting feedback or suggesting follow-up vacations will encourage customers to stay connected and come back for more.
Given the importance of relevant personalization, leveraging data collected from the various touch points to understand the customer’s behavior and preferences can ensure that your pitch is targeted and relevant.
Want to find out how you can use data and insights to help push your user down the sales funnel through targeted engagement? Click here to know more.
If you’d like to know more, write in to us at subhash.s@sonata-software.com