Comment: Mo Shakarchi
Putting customers at the heart of new travel solutions will land the biggest prizes for technology providers, says Collinson’s chief product and innovation officer
“P
utting the traveller experience at the heart of what we do will ensure the
travel industry not only recovers from the Covid pandemic but evolves to be stronger than ever. I’m still a relative newcomer to travel but when I
look at the sector as it puts the pandemic behind it, I see huge potential for growth and opportunity. We are an industry that is intrinsically linked to
people’s wellbeing, facilitating new connections daily, business across the globe, and life-long memories. Not only should the industry be immensely proud of this, but it should also be at the centre of our thinking when we are innovating new products, services and experiences. When it comes to innovation, there’s always the ‘what’ and the
‘how’, but it is the ‘how’ you approach innovation that ultimately dictates the ‘what’. Yes, many of the challenges facing the travel
When I look at the travel industry, I clearly see
a plethora of opportunity across every single aspect, from commercial model innovation to technological innovation. The pandemic saw a spike in start-ups founded by people who were made redundant or were furloughed and had time on their hands. These businesses are going to be digital-first and, in some cases, Web 3.0-first, looking at the world in a decentralised way and putting the power back in the hands of the travellers.
CUSTOMER CENTRICITY The connected digital traveller experience that this start-up community of innovators is going to be able to offer is the biggest threat to all incumbents. When you’re starting out, the ‘freemium’ model is Software-as-a-Service 101 – you create for the consumer, drive volume and then the revenue will come. On the flip side, existing companies can seize the
opportunity even if they have legacy to deal with if they also have a nimbleness and flexibility to spin up new ideas and new models. But they must do so as part of a connected ecosystem of companies, which is why our XperienceX Labs focuses on partnerships to disrupt the travellers’ journey in a positive way. Customer centricity, for me, is the biggest prize for travel
– working in collaboration to put the consumer at the heart of everything we do. And if you approach this from a decentralised,
customer-first mindset, power is placed back in the hands of the consumer and you stop diluting what the customer wants. That’s where start-ups have such a unique
industry can be addressed with an increase in technological investment, similar to what we have seen in other global industries. But it is a willingness of organisations across the industry to collaborate and partner that will be key, as Collinson showed during the pandemic launching our Covid-testing facilities. When consumers need you, as they do travel, and they keep on
coming regardless of the experience you give, you don’t really need to innovate – until things crash. So, the experience of the last three years could just be that trigger point where the shock of the crisis precedes a new era of rapid and fundamental change – frugality drives innovation.
opportunity because, from day one, they are thinking from a consumer point of view about solving their pain points. But any organisation can do one of two things: go it alone and try
to dominate, or create an ecosystem that partners for the benefit of the consumer. All the major tech players – Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook – have created partnerships over the last 10 years you would never have believed would happen. Innovation isn’t about any one player; it needs an ecosystem to be
creative for the benefit of the traveller. There’s enough of a pie for all, and it’s only going to grow.
12 — OCTOBER 2022 —
TRAVOLUTION.CO.UK
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