糖心Vlog

In leisure travel terms, what exactly is 鈥減ersonalization?鈥� Is it targeted online advertising? Customizable website search capability? A loyalty program delivering individualized perks? Yes, yes, and yes. To be fair, 鈥減ersonalization鈥� is still being defined by the various suppliers and customers in the billion dollar travel industry. But one thing is certain: this trend propelled by the explosion of Big Data is starting to define trip planning itself鈥攁nd, alas, it鈥檚 getting more and more personal.

It鈥檚 not one-size-fits-all

Travelers today are taking to the Internet to build their trips, creating custom experiences based on their budgets or whims. They have numerous resources at their fingertips, and everything from peer reviews to hot deals factor into their destination and accommodation decisions. The airlines they choose, the restaurants they try, and the attractions they visit are carefully researched, whether they鈥檙e 鈥淕oogled鈥� or recommended by a friend or a travel website.

Ever since technology put travelers into the driver鈥檚 seat, travel service marketers have had to move beyond designing promotions around large consumer segments (think Big Spenders, Day-Trippers, Family Vacationers, etc.). Now, they need to consider the individual traveler and their particular wants and needs, and it鈥檚 a far more sophisticated endeavor.  Even more complicated is that an individual can be a very different traveler when on a business trip than when he or she is traveling with the family of 4 kids..Savvy travel companies are mining the data in their systems and out in the marketplace to understand their customers: to learn what they want, when they want it, and how they want to get it鈥攕o they can deliver relevant and timely offers that build revenue and loyalty.

It鈥檚 a lot of numbers-crunching

To achieve this, travel providers are putting a number of pieces together. In addition to looking at an individual鈥檚 online browse and click patterns, they鈥檙e looking at what they share on social media sites and what they say in reviews. They鈥檙e assessing how a shopper鈥檚 behavior differs between the research and purchase phases. They鈥檙e incorporating data derived from loyalty programs and ancillary sales, and taking hints from geo-location tools.

In their blog post Opportunities for Personalization in the Travel Industry, predictive analytics company Canopy Labs shares a few website personalization strategies travel companies can consider using:

• Self-segmentation by spend levels 鈥� Enable customers to filter search results by cost and convenience options. An individual鈥檚 selections lend insight into their booking priorities and traveler preferences that can be used to promote sales during future visits.
• Segmentation by payment method 鈥� When you see how an individual is paying for a trip, you can use this information to help personalize and upsell the experience.聽 A corporate traveler paying with a corporate credit card will likely appreciate restaurant reservations or a free in-room movie. 聽聽A leisure traveler paying with a debit card or PayPal might like a spa discount or travel insurance.
• Location-based travel versus theme-based travel 鈥� Deploy content marketing to support a customer鈥檚 trip research and learn about an individual鈥檚 interests. The content they consume gives clues into their upcoming trip and can be used to take them through the sales funnel.
• User reviews and social data 鈥� Encourage website visitors to engage with the brand and fellow travelers by posting reviews and/or connecting them through their social media accounts. Data generated through these social channels paints a picture of the customer and provides details that can be used to customize future messaging.

It鈥檚 expected

Travel shoppers expect to be understood and catered to. That鈥檚 why they鈥檙e usually willing to voluntarily share information with travel companies. They鈥檒l create online profiles or enable social media sign-ins if it makes their trip planning experience easier and more customized to they way they want to interact with the travel brand. Why not work with the supplier if it means a more comfortable trip?

And for the travel company, their efforts often add up to becoming the individual鈥檚 go-to brand鈥攅ven if they鈥檙e not the price-winner. That鈥檚 right. Effective use of personalization can put value over price. The little extras鈥攎ore onboard legroom or in-room customizations like allergen-free pillows鈥攃an make a big difference. There鈥檚 no doubt that travel industry suppliers are up to the challenge of uncovering what little extras are going to yield the greatest results, and what combination of data and customer service is going to get them there.