Travel websites need to go much further than being an online catalogue if they want to compete in today’s environment

Creating a ‘what’s in store’ experience plays a central role in helping to drive customers to the point of decision-making. That exerts additional pressure on travel e-commerce players to deliver a relevant, tailored offering, one that matches their profile as well as their intention. Personalisation is indeed a vital component of any e-commerce strategy today, and it is being closely followed as it impacts key performance aspects like revenue and customer retention. A benchmark for the level of personalisation in online shopping is offering the same experience as one would come across in a store. The industry acknowledges the role of big data and personalisation engines for appropriate product recommendations and targeted promotions. 

Here EyeforTravel’s Ritesh Gupta talks to Sanket Atal, chief technology officer at the Indian OTA, MakeMyTrip, who believes that “despite all the bells and whistles most e-commerce websites are still not much more than electronic catalogues”.

EFT: If that really is the case, what in your view is lacking today?

SA: Sorely lacking is the element of discovery; the sense of excitement and wonderment that convinces you to make up your mind, or change it.

In this regard, e-commerce has been unable to provide the same experience that shoppers take delight in when making in-store purchases. But innovative and dynamic web technologies can change this in the near future. Hence, e-commerce of the future will resemble a catalogue less and less, and feel more and more like an in-store experience.

EFT: In your view, what role does personalisation play today in this process?   

SA: Personalisation is about making the customer interaction with you more meaningful. Today, businesses of all types are using technology to personalise their customers’ experiences. Many online stores have a history of what you have purchased, and even your visits. They may know where you live, if you prefer expensive or low priced items, and so forth. By using that information to deliver targeted content and promotions, they are personalising your experience and making it a more positive one.

With new e-commerce categories picking up, customers now have access to every kind of product and service imaginable, yet this is only the tip of the iceberg. In coming years, new technologies will continue to revolutionise the consumer shopping experience and drive even more currency into online sales.

EFT: How would you define personalisation from an OTA perspective?

SA: We believe that personalisation will be a big part of e-commerce moving forward. At MakeMyTrip, our goal is to leverage big data to achieve personalisation in order give customers a better experience. We want to make people feel special by catering to their individual needs. Travellers want a particular, authentic experience that they can call their own. They don’t want to feel part of a mass experience.

EFT: Can you cite an example?

SA: For example: a businessman who regularly travels to Bangalore is now saying that ‘I am an individual and I want my hotel to recognise that I have certain preferences and needs’. Hence, this is something that has to be put at the heart of an experience and how to make it native to the brand proposition needs to be considered.

EFT: How does personalisation work for people who aren’t loyal members but who could become a regular visitors to makemytrip.com and vice versa?

SA: We aim to personalise the experience for every visitor but the process is easier for earlier shoppers and those we have in our database. For repeat visitors, who have not shopped with us before, we retarget them with offers we ascertain will be relevant to them based on previous browsing history. For existing shoppers, the personalisation is much more in-depth and comprehensive. We have a loyalty programme for our customers and those who are a part of it will receive special customised offers on special occasions such as their birthday or wedding anniversary.

Even for non-members we attempt to provide a personalised experience by identifying their device-type (browser, iPhone, Android, or Windows Phone, app) and serve offers and creative communication to suit. A simple but powerful thing is referring to them by their name in the communication and bringing up their last holiday and encouraging them to plan a holiday soon.

EFT: So how then are you focused on developing personalisation technology?

SA: At MakeMyTrip, data from multiple sources is consolidated and analysed using different parameters to improve sales and marketing effectiveness. Part of the data is already available in the organisational data store. However, when this data is combined with numerous external sources its value increases significantly, giving greater insights into customer behaviour patterns. This information helps us to analyse trends and customer preferences – their likes and dislikes and sentiments.

This further acts as a powerful tool for devising strategies and uncovering hidden sales opportunities with the right decision-making strategies, and also, in identifying unknown risks in market segments.