The weather outside is frightful, the Caribbean is so delightful, and there’s no better time than now to book your next getaway. How are you going to begin planning? Many travel-hungry consumers are starting with their mobile phone.
In our increasingly mobile-first world, no industry has been left untouched — especially the travel industry. Consumers are now their own travel agents; researching flights to faraway destinations, curating their own itineraries, and comparing deals on everything from rental cars to boutique hotels, all with a couple taps on their mobile device.
While all of this may be good for consumers, it’s made the work of travel marketers much more challenging. Successful travel marketers are now tasked with knowing where each traveler is in the customer journey, and how to present relevant and timely messages to push the traveler through the path to purchase.
These challenges are far from the only ones that today’s travel marketers face. The travel industry is notorious for it’s low profit margins, and the real value of a traveler is not necessarily in the initial conversion, but in the lifetime value (LTV) of the customer. Cross-sell and upsell opportunities are critical to the success of online travel agencies (OTA). Which means a greater need for keeping up with travelers’ wants, and employing successful retention strategies to bring them back for future needs.
