Interview: Bringing a Consumer Experience to Corporate Travel

Corporate travel is on the cusp of a revolution in traveler experience, yet the path so far has been slow or halting. For Darrin Grafton, CEO of Australia- and New Zealand-based corporate travel technology company Serko, a better shopping experience is just one of the most important revelations for the sector. "The way that we sum it up is that you wouldn't walk into a grocery store and buy a can of tomatoes by just seeing a price," said Grafton. "You want to see the packaging, see if it's gluten-free, check the ingredients that are used. Today, it's fine for an enterprise site to just show a flight as a number with maybe a class next to it. The ingredients, the picture of the seat, knowing that it's a new aircraft, all of that sort of stuff doesn't come through, which is quite often activated in the consumer side. That's the paradigm shift." The company's booking tool Zeno is gaining some traction across the industry, integrated rich content with personalization as Serko partners will global companies looking for a better business travel solution. Serko is also looking to be acquisitive, if they find the right target to enhance its technology suite. At the same time, though, the biggest players in corporate travel are embracing technology in a big way as a global arms race of sorts heats up. Can the consumer experience really catch on in corporate travel? Skift spoke to Grafton about building a booking tool focused on the traveler experience, the pitfalls of automated personalizations, and the challenges faced by a strong regional player looking to branch out into the global marketplace. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. Skift: Serko has been around for more than two decades,  yet is kind of under-the-radar in corporate travel. How have you worked to develop your advanced tools for travelers and travel managers? Darrin Grafton: We've been trying to change the travel