Forrester Research just published an analysis of mobile technology in the travel marketplace.
Mobile is an ideal channel for travelers. Within this touchpoint, smartphones excel. Though just 22% of all US online adults have a smartphone, 35% of US online leisure travelers and 55% of business travelers have one of these devices. The smartphone-equipped traveler is your future, and he’s traveling with you today. Ingredient technologies within smartphones, like GPS, cameras, and sensors, and the apps they empower, will change how travelers and brands interact and engage with each other. Forrester also believes that smartphones will spur the development of new distance-based yield management models. How can travel eBusiness pros use smartphones to win with their travelers? Build strategies and tactics formed on the “three I’s”: individualism, immediacy, and inspiration.
Forrester projects that by 2013 the smartphone will be one of the two most important touchpoints between a customer and supplier in the travel marketplace, the other being traditional websites. Others, myself included, would argue that we have already reached that point. If a travel supplier or services company doesn’t have a mobile strategy much less a smartphone app, then time is very much of the essence.
Forrester goes on to make some basic recommendations for travel marketers as they define, design and deploy their mobile apps:
- Ensure the app is sensitive to a traveler’s mobile location through the device.
- Push alerts rather than have a user request information.
- Deliver appropriate customer-centric services.
- Ensure the app is intuitive, easy to navigate and integrates with mixed media, especially video.
This is a reasonable starter list. However, above and beyond this there are a number of key imperatives that travel marketers need to consider at the strategic and tactical levels.
Strategically, and first, companies should align their technology and business strategies enterprise-wide. Second, companies should determine how a mobile / smartphone app or service will integrate and interface with the company’s internet properties and legacy systems. Third, companies must weigh the pros and cons of a native mobile app versus a website with a mobile focused component. Fourth, companies need to examine their end-to-end search-shop-book processes to develop a comprehensive mobile interaction with their customers. At a more tactical level travel marketers need to consider the following as they develop mobile apps: integration with social networks, leveraging destination content, aggregating location based promotions and services, offering augmented reality services.
In a separate article we’ll examine strategic and tactical objectives and recommendations for travel marketers in more detail.