{"id":4338,"date":"2016-02-17T15:44:12","date_gmt":"2016-02-17T12:44:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tourism.plus4d.com\/2016\/02\/17\/what-we-learned-in-the-age-of-traveller-power-that-will-mean-success-in-2016-by-mark-elliott\/"},"modified":"2016-02-17T15:44:12","modified_gmt":"2016-02-17T12:44:12","slug":"what-we-learned-in-the-age-of-traveller-power-that-will-mean-success-in-2016-by-mark-elliott","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tourismworld-seyaha.com\/?p=4338","title":{"rendered":"What we learned in the \u2018Age of Traveller Power\u2019 that will mean success in 2016- by: Mark Elliott"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"col_4_6 article last\" style=\"clear: right; float: left; display: inline; border-right-style: none; width: 38.75em; color: #222222; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;\">\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 0.938em; line-height: 1.5; padding-left: 1.25em; padding-right: 1.25em;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 900; font-size: 14pt;\">In 2015 we saw the dawn of the \u2018Age of Traveller Power\u2019, where the connected traveller sits squarely at the top of the travel food chain, wielding abundant influence and with access to a world of information.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 0.938em; line-height: 1.5; padding-left: 1.25em; padding-right: 1.25em;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">For the travel industry, the cat has truly been thrown among the pigeons. Travel providers who traditionally held all the cards when it came to choice and expertise now need to work harder than ever before to remain relevant.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"direction: ltr; outline: 0px;\">&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"direction: ltr;\"><span style=\"line-height: 22.4px; font-size: 14pt;\">Albert Pozo<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 0.938em; line-height: 1.5; padding-left: 1.25em; padding-right: 1.25em;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Delivering unique and professional service to the traveller has always been the cornerstone of success: critical to earning loyalty and hence customer lifetime value. However, in a brave new world of the 8.25 second attention span , travellers are more willing to abandon brand fidelity for whoever gives them their best option in the \u2018now\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 0.938em; line-height: 1.5; padding-left: 1.25em; padding-right: 1.25em;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Here\u2019s where an overused buzzword comes in to play: personalisation. Developing deep customer intimacy and technology to present offers that match travellers\u2019 unexpressed needs instantaneously is the Holy Grail.&nbsp; However, the risk is that getting the balance wrong can lead to poor personalisation, leaving travellers frustrated and dissatisfied.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 0.938em; line-height: 1.5; padding-left: 1.25em; padding-right: 1.25em;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">So what does this mean for 2016? I believe the call to action is clear: the industry must use the insights gained in the Age of Traveller Power to reconnect with customers. To do this we need to get back to the basics and recapture what has been forgotten about the true essence of retailing. Let\u2019s call it \u2018Power Retailing\u2019, where the most suitable and appropriate offers and services are delivered to the traveller with minimum hassle.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 0.938em; line-height: 1.5; padding-left: 1.25em; padding-right: 1.25em;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">This is where technology plays an important role, allowing retailers in the industry to capture relevant information and create personalised, inspiring offers that will convert traffic into a loyal customer base, regardless of channel. Amadeus is making great strides in this space.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 0.938em; line-height: 1.5; padding-left: 1.25em; padding-right: 1.25em;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">And mobile needs to be at the heart of this \u2013 not just as a channel afterthought. After all, with only 42% of travellers\u2019 spend taking place before departure , the remaining 58% is a treasure chest begging to be unlocked \u2013 and there is no better way to reach the \u2018always connected\u2019 traveller than through mobile.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 0.938em; line-height: 1.5; padding-left: 1.25em; padding-right: 1.25em;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Indeed, mobile is the space where disruption and innovation is thriving, with 2015 seeing the emergence of a burgeoning travel app developer community. And one thing that seems certain is that where the Age of Traveller Power is where everyONE is connected, the blossoming Internet-of-Things (IoT) will mean soon it\u2019s everyTHING.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 0.938em; line-height: 1.5; padding-left: 1.25em; padding-right: 1.25em;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Can the travel agent remain relevant in a landscape that is in constant upheaval from disruption and innovation? Without a doubt, yes. And the key to their success will be specialisation. Be it a subject matter, destination, niche or even a specific traveller tribe \u2013 it\u2019s about delivering real value through deep knowledge and a unique proposition that no machine-based algorithm can beat. Loyalty can only be earned by consistently being the best at something.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"margin: 0px 0px 1em; font-size: 0.938em; line-height: 1.5; padding-left: 1.25em; padding-right: 1.25em;\"><span style=\"font-size: 14pt;\">Amadeus is already working together with every part of the travel industry \u2013 from airlines to travel agents, hotels, rail companies, airports and travel start-ups \u2013 to enable them to become \u2018Power Retailers\u2019. We continue to help them stay connected with the traveller across the entire end-to-end travel experience; and to thrive in the Age of Traveller Power\u2026 and beyond.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"col_4_6 article last\" style=\"clear: right; float: left; display: inline; border-right-style: none; width: 38.75em; color: #222222; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n<div class=\"col_4_6 last\" style=\"clear: right; float: left; display: inline; border-right-style: none; width: 38.75em; color: #222222; font-family: 'Source Sans Pro', sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.4px;\">&nbsp;<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 2015 we saw the dawn of the \u2018Age of Traveller Power\u2019, where the connected traveller sits squarely at the top of the travel food chain, wielding abundant influence and with access to a world of information. For the travel industry, the cat has truly been thrown among the pigeons. Travel providers who traditionally held [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[41],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4338","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category----articles-reports-studies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tourismworld-seyaha.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4338","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tourismworld-seyaha.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tourismworld-seyaha.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tourismworld-seyaha.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tourismworld-seyaha.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4338"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.tourismworld-seyaha.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4338\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tourismworld-seyaha.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4338"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tourismworld-seyaha.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4338"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tourismworld-seyaha.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4338"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}