Top Seven eCommerce Priorities for Travel Companies

7:  Creating bi-directional engagements via social media

Social media has transformed the way we communicate online. But it’s not only changed the way that friends communicate, but also the way we interact and transact with companies.

Marketers know that social media is a highly effective marketing channel, and not only that but it’s the perfect way to provide social proof of the quality of your product. Travel companies are now trying to develop their social media strategy to ensure that communication via social media is a two-way street. The challenge lies in making the requisite resources available, developing or hiring in the expertise and managing your online communities on an ongoing basis. 

6:  Investing/optimising personalisation strategies

Personalisation strategies which transcend channel and device require well orchestrated multi-channel strategies and a helluva lot of data.

The data is where it gets interesting – just how much are your customers prepared to let you know about them? Although the jury is still out on privacy vs. personalisation, there is little doubt that those who tailor their marketing to customer need will top the revenue growth winners list. 

5:  Post purchase cross-sell/upsell

In a similar vein to improving ancillary sales, post purchase cross- and up-selling is all about finding those little extras which make a trip extra-special.

This comes down to understanding your customer’s travel habits as well as what kind of trip they are taking. Finding the right combination opens up many exciting opportunities for targeted post-purchase marketing campaigns designed to inspire travellers to sign up for those ‘little extras’.

4: Increasing ancillary sales      

There are a lot of extras that travellers might need, insurance, car rental, excursions and upgrades (think economy-plus seating) to name but a few. By selling these extras on their websites travel companies can boost their online revenue significantly.

As a result, hotels, airlines and cruise lines are increasingly seeking a slice of the ancillary pie. Given the proven ability of ancillary sales to boost revenue, we can expect to see this persist as an important element of online strategy.  

3:  Sending newsletters segmented by traveller type

Getting personalised messages to the right person at the right time is the Holy Grail for any marketer.

Segmenting travellers into types based on your customer data is a great way to achieve this. However, there are thousands of ways to slice up the data, from spending habits to preferred locations. Before travel companies can get to the serious business of crafting customised messages, they first need to get a handle on their data – a big challenge for 2016/17.

2:  Increasing bookings on smartphones/tablets

The amount of travellers both researching AND booking their travel on tablets or mobile is going through the roof.  

However, formatting your eCommerce site for the sheer amount of different devices available can provide a significant challenge to travel companies. Ultimately, they know that getting the experience right for the customer regardless of device will be crucial to their success.

1: Reducing online shopping basket abandonment 

Given the revenue-boosting potential of reducing basket abandonment it’s understandable that reducing abandonment is the number one priority for travel companies in 2016/17.

As many as 80% or more of shopping baskets end up abandoned.If travel companies can chip away at this number, then the financial benefits will be enormous.  

The question which creases everyone’s brow – why do so many people abandon their carts? Sure, a large percentage will be ‘just looking’,but providing clarity on fees and taxes, streamlining the booking and payment process and emphasising social proof (among many other things) will help travel companies to make significant gains over the competition. 

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