One difference between cheese and worm is that, “An early bird gets the worm but the second mouse gets the cheese”.

This difference of predation can sum up the plight of travel market where some marketers are first birds and some are second to the cheese. If travelers’ purse is the bite, then as marketers, sometimes being first works and sometimes being second. The jury on this is equally divided.

However as more and more and marketing travelers are discovering: Travelers purse and Travelers Mobile are Pocket Cousins.  You can target one to impact the other.

With this insight let’s review some of the targeting that brands are doing on travelers mobile. However before we do that here is some data of the Purse-Mobile Kinship.

Millions of travelers are now using Smartphone for travel purchase. There is no doubt about the fact that Mobile has become a pocket travel agent for travelers across the world.

Some of the highlighted facts about pocket estate are below:

•       17% of travel consumers have researched using their mobiles.
•       Travel related applications are downloaded by 12% of travel consumers.
•       Around 3% have made a travel booking on mobile
•       In 2013, the number of mobile bookings is expected to rise to 6.5%
•       Out of the total travel brands, 20% have their applications online.

With mobile penetrating deep into travel consumers’ market, consumers now demand something more on their hand sets.  Many consumers want brands to allow them to book accommodation using a mobile device.  However, despite the increase in demand for travel related mobile websites and mobile apps only 25% of businesses engage with guests via mobile devices. Few airlines and hotels have adopted mobile marketing strategy to target mobile travel consumers.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines gives option to its customers to download apps for different platforms. Customers can check flight status, check-in via mobile or can book flight tickets using these apps. It has also introduced an entertainment channel known as “InAirtainment” from where customers can download music, movies, TV shows, etc.

JetBlue

JetBlue has come up with unique features in mobile apps like Mobile web (track flights, book travel, travel alerts, check-in, and inflight experience) and Mobile boarding pass which travelers get once they check in and involves scanning the bar code at various check points and gates. This has helped travelers save lot of time.

Hilton Garden Inn

After retail, hospitality is second in mobile engagement. 65% of hotels have a mobile site with functionality for mobile booking. Hilton Garden Inn gives option to its customers to download free iphone/ipad app. This is to help business travelers navigate business jargons and acronyms that are common in the workplace (eyefortravel, November 2011). Most of the airlines have also started launching iphone, android and blackberry apps download option.

IHG

Intercontinental Hotels Group offers its customers option to download mobile apps for iphone, Blackberry, Android and Windows phone.  Apart from that, it also provides optimized mobile website to its customers.

Be Future Ready!

1. Mobile Strategy

Today, consumers expect every traveler to provide a mobile website. Thus, it becomes necessary for travel companies to launch an optimized mobile site which offers transactions to internet-enabled mobile devices.

2. Leveraging Mobile Apps

After providing optimized mobile web experience, it is important for travel companies to adopt app strategy with improved features. This will help travel companies to deepen brand loyalty. Some of the best travel apps are Tripadvisor, Yelp, Tripit, Kayak and Jetsetter.

3. Location-based Features

By providing location-based features, travel companies can offer customized services to its different customers based on their locations.

 

Author: Alicia Jones – Strategic Marketing Consultant |Media Mosaic

Media Mosaic is world’s first fully integrated Travel ZMOT (Zero Moment Of Truth) agency, specializing in creating unique campaigns, to help brands WIN@TRAVEL. We bring an extensive knowledge of travel consumers’ demographics and their buying behaviors. This helps us to strategize our clients’ online marketing campaign for maximum ROI. We achieve the defined objectives, by mounting research based and interlocking, Branding, Content, Search and Social Media marketing activities. For further info on how to WIN@TRAVEL visit http://www.media-mosaic.com/travel.