Articles tagged “personalization”

Cost is an important consideration when designing a business travel program. But more organizations are waking up to the fact that smarter policies aren’t solely about saving money. Today’s modern policy must take into account growing employee demand for more choice, greater convenience, and better traveler support.

Today’s consumer no longer thinks about loyalty solely in terms of points and miles. That’s created a growing opportunity for travel brands to rethink the strategies they use to build loyalty with travelers.

TripAdvisor already was a social travel site before the beta launch of its new travel feed, and it has resources in this area that many failed startups didn't have — namely, a massive user base, a global brand, and profit. Still, this site redesign may not move the proverbial needle as much as the company hopes.

Some sophisticated travelers like it when airlines embrace sophisticated personalization strategies, particularly when it means an airline will make a reasonably priced offer for something the customer values, such as an upgrade or a change to an earlier flight. But more casual travelers might find it intrusive. Regardless, personalization likely is here to stay.

Today’s travel consumer faces a needlessly complex online shopping experience. There are too many choices, and offers are not customized to address buyers’ unique needs. To solve this problem, travel brands must use what they already know about their customers to simplify, streamline and personalize the purchase process.

Meliá has followed the path of Disney and Carnival to introduce wearable tech. But it has taken the concept further, enabling nearby merchants like Starbucks to also accept payments made by guests via its new smart wristbands.

Following the roadmap of platform-focused businesses like Netflix and Amazon, the hospitality sector is moving toward more comprehensive and personalized online experiences that encompass the broader aspects of travel beyond the hotel walls.

The hotel industry has an opportunity to transform the direct booking process using website personalization. Doing so can help deliver a more efficient and customized booking experience, resulting in better conversion ratios and the opportunity to further cultivate relationships with guests.

High-quality customer data is the fuel powering today’s personalization-driven travel marketing campaigns. Unfortunately, too many companies don’t have enough access to customer data to fully understand customers’ habits and preferences. Thankfully, there is now a growing range of solutions to help fill in the gaps.

The global distribution system and next-generation retailing solutions will play pivotal roles in helping airlines and agents offer contextual, personalized products that NDC-enabled content presents, allowing them to step confidently into the future of retailing.