Where Human Process and Technology Intersect
It is always fascinating to observe how people flow through the process of booking travel, and more specifically how they interact with and use technology to aid them.
An amazing mass of people documenting their booking process can be found on Facebook… one friend posts a comment “wow… I would love to go here” with a link to a photo album from a travel blog. Later that week more comments come out with videos, photos and links to hotel and airline deals found during their hunt. Pretty soon an announcement that they are waiting in the airport and a few weeks later images, videos and comments are posted and shared about the vacation.
When you break down all of the different user types; savers, spenders, thrill hunters, etc. they all follow a similar path. They visualize a trip, organize their options, take a vacation and then contribute the experience to friends and family.
The Travel Buying Process:
From a digital marketing perspective this process contains three key questions that should be considered:
- What stage is the potential consumer in?
- What social needs drive behavior within the stage?
- How can technology play a role in facilitating or enhancing the stage?
By asking these questions and understanding what stage your target is in we have a better chance at creating relevant technology and marketing that empowers the traveler and gives them a more natural and intuitive experience.
Example:
Going back to the Facebook observation you can see that photography played a role in the visualize stage. The user found a piece of content that caused them to post “wow… I would love to go here.” Developing galleries that inspire and promote a specific experience, i.e. relaxing, unique, thrilling, and allowing these to be shared across Facebook would be one small example of this process in action.
One to One Travel uses this approach to both develop and validate new technologies and marketing tactics ensuring that our points of engagement with customers are in alignment with the natural purchase process.
- Rob
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