Markets are becoming mobile first and giving brands huge potential to reach out to travellers, but are many still missing out by failing to reach consumers on their smartphones?

Creating a mobile messaging service is effective, so why aren’t more brands doing it? This is the question posed by a new report from EyeforTravel and German-based software multinational, SAP. The research finds that 83% of travel brands that have automated messaging services are more effective at increasing customer satisfaction. However, just 41% of the brands surveyed are currently harnessing these services. It’s not all bad news though as 20% report that they are developing the capability to do so.

Delving deeper into the roll out of possible mobile messaging routes, a similar story emerges about the lack of communication between brands and travellers. Just under a third reported that they had developed an app, 29% could reach customers with mobile messaging or push notifications and less than 25% can send text messages. Simply put, this means the majority of travel brands are not communicating effectively via mobile. Although email remains a bright spark on the horizon, even here, only 40.4% of respondents said there were optimising for mobile.

• 87% of US travellers find travel notifications useful
• 83% of travel brands that have automated messaging services are more effective at increasing customer satisfaction
• 40.4% of travel brands have mobile optimised-email
• 29% can reach customers with mobile messaging or push notifications

This isn’t good news because, as the research notes, not only do travel consumers increasingly resort to mobile to research their trip and while they are travelling, they also want to be reached! In fact, 87% of US travellers said that they find travel notifications useful, with trip status updates the most popular but also discounts and pricing widely sought after. 

According to the research there are two clear ways that the travel brands could perform better.

1. Upsell and cross-sell: Brands are largely unable to cross- and upsell consumer travel products. They are also less able to accommodate last-minute mobile bookings, which can directly boost revenue.
2. Loyalty: They are also missing an opportunity to drive loyalty with the consumer, as smart mobile messaging allows for relationship building.

On point two, this can be achieved in a number of ways, not least by making the customer’s journey more convenient, sending personalised messages, responding appropriately in moments of crisis, and creating an easier way to gather feedback and encourage reviews.

Says Michael Bayle, head of mobile at technology firm Amadeus: “Only the travel brand knows if you made a change to your flight or PNR, so in terms of loyalty why should a travel brand acquiesce that relationship to Google?”

Going a step further, he says travel brands – and not Google! - should be bringing these issues to the traveller’s attention. “The more current and actionable data, such as a flight cancellation, Google can’t act upon. The travel brand can make a positive change to get a result and take advantage of that disruptive management,” he says.

However, being mobile savvy doesn’t just mean deploying an app or an SMS service. Travel brands need to create an overarching mobile strategy. Says Rohit Tripathi, General Manager & Head of Products, SAP Digital Interconnect: “For the traveller, there are no mobile stages. Mobile is everything and everything is mobile. We interact in making our purchase decisions seamlessly on our tablet and phones, and sometimes on our computers, so it is no longer fair to call out mobile as a separate category. It is no longer a case of ‘do you have a mobile strategy?’ Instead it’s saying ‘what are you doing to embed that deeper into the consumer lifecycle or purchase journey?’”

It is no longer fair to call out mobile as a separate category

Rohit Tripathi, General Manager & Head of Products, SAP Digital Interconnect

Tripathi notes too that this needs to be contextual and appropriate to the consumer’s situation. “If it’s a general update or information about an upcoming promotion that is not immediately relevant, then email is the best way to reach out, or social media. If it is something critical that needs to be acted on, such as a change of travel plans, an unexpected disruption or threat, then SMS is clearly the way to go. You can safely rely on SMS to be available globally, whether or not the person has a data plan,” he explains.

According to Tripathi, when SAP customers reach out using SAP Intelligent Notification 365’s unique multi-channel API, they can do so across communication channels either on-device, social media or on a brand app. “This means they can maintain two-way transactional or marketing engagement that matches the customer’s needs through an autonomous system that enables and escalates message routing across all mobile channels,” he says.

A big claim, perhaps, but failure to take advantage of technologies from firms like SAP, or where possible to develop in house, could signal a massive, missed opportunity.

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