Chapter 2: Mobile & Travel Survey Mobile Technology in Travel - The Introduction
e
l
S
u
r
v
e
y
T
r
a
v
Travel companies (8%) also rate customer service as the most advantageous aspect
of Mobile. Personalisation is also highly rated (8%) and this includes opportunities of
l
e
&
permission based use, geo-targeting and the use of destination information. Sales &
marketing (7%) and just sales (7%) is another theme including opportunities of impulse o
b
i
sales, instant bookings and incremental business, offloading of distressed inventory
M
plus up selling and ancillary revenues.
Another key benefit highlighted is ‘efficiency’ (7%). This includes the improved cost
efficiency of distribution. Other key themes that emerged include:
•
‘CRM’ with references to customer satisfaction, loyalty and improving customer
feedback
•
‘Operations’ which includes paperless ticketing / coupons, check-in and the ability
to change booking on the go
•
Mobile as a ‘new channel’, just as the web is
•
Mobile as an ideal way to communicate ‘information’ and offer travel alerts to
customers
•
Push marketing suggesting that Mobile is perfect for advertising and appropriate for
last minute offers and upgrades, for example.
•
On the other hand ‘customisation’ has emerged as a theme that concentrates on the
advantages of pull marketing via mobile devices
•
Mobile as an added value
•
Applications
•
A way to create a competitive edge
It is argued that “each business type will need to be able to identify how they can benefit
from it. Each will be different as business models and company objectives will differ” but
it is also emphasised that “it should be to the advantage of the travel customer, only then
will it be to the advantage of travel companies”.
It is argued that the travel industry needs to “Try, try and try: none of the major
developments in mobile were clearly pre-planned. The most successful (like on Internet)
will be made successful by customers”. Some noted that while in the industry technology
is often only adopted to cut costs they would like to see some genuinely new and creative
applications of the technologies for competitive advantage – focusing on the top line
rather than just the bottom.
What is hoped is that “Mobile reaches the parts the fixed internet can’t” and that “Mobile
is connecting travel companies to customers in a closest possible ways that has never
happened before. Customers are in contact with companies from anywhere to everywhere
and at anytime.” It is also suggested that “Mobile can bring back the communication
channel between travel company and customer in a cost efficient way, now that we have
taught them to use self service and face to face interactions have disappeared”.
What has been revealed in this survey is that the competitive advantage will go to
“those firms that ‘get it’ rather than those that just ‘do it’”. It is argued that “Mobile is
78 79
© EyeforTravel Research. All rights reserved. © EyeforTravel Research. All rights reserved.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80