Mobile initiatives in SIXT, Lufthansa, Egencia, Rearden, Kayak, Lonely planet and WAYN

Published: 09 Jul 2009

In EyeforTravel’s recent Mobile Technology in Travel Report: The Detail, guidelines for developing user-centric mobile initiatives are offered and some of the highlights around the mobile consumer include some real positives:

It is important to think in terms of ‘scenarios’ as to how a typical customer could use their mobile as they engage with brand touch-points and move through their travel experience.

Some mobile travel consumers are willing to pay for innovative and appealing services on their mobile phones as the mobile culture has always operated on a paid service model in marked contrast to the free culture of the internet. Micropayments are a good way to generate revenue streams from customers using your mobile services.

It is clear that some customers want to share information about their trips and they want to do so in a way that is simple and user-friendly. Customers are proving very receptive to the idea that travel companies act as ‘enablers’ of the entire travel experience and have shown interest in such mobile initiatives.

Some clear points of caution and practical advice include:

Effective delivery of services to an individuals’ mobile device must be defined by personalisation and relevance.

Mobile travel consumers have high expectations and are impatient with services that are expensive, have a poor user experience or add any negatively to their travel experience.

Mobile travel consumers are very sensitive about their personal mobile device being used for marketing and advertising, care is needed.

With respect to serving the mobile customer effectively, the answer is in the detail

Usability, Usability, Usability. Oh and did we mention usability?

Your mobile customers are not just repackaged, scaled down and poorly focused versions of your online customers so don’t offer them mobile products and services that treat them as such. Once you lose a customer on mobile, given its personal nature it will prove almost impossible to get them back.

Insights from leading travel companies featuring in the Mobile Technology in Travel Report: The Detail include these:

Sixt advises: When it comes to offering services to mobile customers; ‘less is more’

Lufthansa reminds us that your customers are mobile so as a travel company you need to be too

Lufthansa also notes that mobile is a standalone medium and that it offers new ways to connect with your customers and that it is a different not a limited channel

Egencia notes that sometimes, travel companies say ‘we tried something on mobile but nobody used it’ - you cannot push technology only through technology and you need to shout from the hilltops to your customers that you are mobile and that they should be trying your sexy new offering... engage your customers to buy-in to mobile

Rearden Commerce and Egencia advise companies to be aware of being entirely led by what customers say they want. Be user-centric but do not slavishly develop products and services. It is more important to anticipate customer’s needs and how they will use their mobiles in practice rather than developing a particular piece of functionality based on superficial customer feedback

Some customers love to use products and services that are addictive and fun. Rearden Commerce has taken this to heart in delivering mobile services that recognise that corporate travellers are social beings too.

Kayak indicates that mobile can be used to re-energise relationships with existing customers and engage with new customers

Lonely Planet has been focusing on mobile as a window into how customers are changing. They have found some consumers want to engage in rich content and social media activities delivered via their personal mobile device. This reflects the evolving relationship between content, experience and social media

Lonely Planet recognise that as customers evolve they are demanding a more and more interactive relationship with brands

Don’t assume customers will use a service in a particular way. lastminute.com suggests that customers do not necessarily behave in the way you expect and it is necessary to understand the broader concept of ‘mobility’ when creating mobile products and services that are customer-centric. Deliver a mobile service that is tailored to the way customers actually move through the travel experience.

Egencia have learnt that a part of understanding and serving mobile travellers is in applying the concept of the ‘time value of money.’ This is extremely important to not only corporate travellers but discerning leisure travellers as well

Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and be critical. WAYN have stressed that mobile initiatives should always enhance the core value proposition to the customer, if the added value is not clear-cut then don’t bother; go back to the drawing board

WAYN also points out that mobile consumers are social consumers, they note that the travel industry needs to think about mobile as inherently viral and that having a compelling service that users want to show their friends and acquaintances should not be underestimated. This way, the customers can help to do a lot of the hard work for you!

Don’t treat mobile as a box ticking exercise, Visit Britain warns, your mobile customers deserve better and it is crucial to develop services that reflect how customers use their mobiles

To learn about how travel or tourism companies can build a business case for mobile, look through 16 exclusive case studies with leading travel and tourism companies from around the world and benefit from aggregated insight from leaders in the mobile space, you can register free today as an EyeforTravel Research Advanced Member. EyeforTravel Research Advanced Membership is a free resource for the travel industry and you can sign up here http://www.eyefortravelresearch.com/user/registration to gain immediate access to Advanced Member reports.

Mobile and its impact on travel will be also debated at the Mobile Strategies for Travel Conference taking place this September in Chicago. http://events.eyefortravel.com/tdsusa/mobile-travel/

For info get in touch with

Tim Gunstone
MD, Eyefortravel Ltd.
tim@eyefortravel.com
0207 3757557

Events, Conferences and Reports