Apointment

NOT all travellers are price
sensitive and looking for the
best deal. Customers can
no longer be segmented
strictly into ‘corporate’
or ‘leisure’ bookings.
Customers’ needs are
changing and, thanks to
technology, travel agents
and suppliers are in a better
position to give them what
they’re looking for.
Technology has
empowered customers
booking travel – they can
shop around, they know
more about what’s out
there and as a result they
have more demands, says
Sabre’s vp for Eastern
Europe, Middle East and
Africa, Dean Bibb.
He was speaking at a
round table breakfast
session hosted by Sabre
to discuss travel trends in
2015 and beyond.
But technology has
also empowered service
providers who now, with Big
Data, have the necessary
information to tailor make
travel experiences, offering
the client more in the value
chain. “Technology allows
agents and suppliers to tap
into different segments and
market product to clients
according to their needs,
driving good deals to those
who are price sensitive and
offering a more personalised
service to those that aren’t.”
“The sale of airline
ancillary products has
rocketed in recent years and
we can expect to see more
options become available,”
says Harold Eisnacher,
Sabre’s senior vp for EMEA.
“When we talk about
ancillaries we refer mainly to
the sale of seats and bags,
but this is changing. As a
result of data mining and
analyses, service providers
have more information on
clients than ever before and,
what’s more, they’re able to
capture and use this data to
tailor their offering.”
It won’t be long before
travellers are receiving all
travel information via their
mobile apps, making the
experience easier and more
convenient. For example, if
a flight is delayed, they will
receive options via their app
to rebook on another flight,
he says.
The line between corporate
and leisure customers has
also become blurred. “Travel
is becoming an experience
again,” says Dean. Business
travellers want to make
the most of their trips by
booking add-ons and taking
their families along. These
customers are also less
price-sensitive because the
company is paying a portion
of the trip. TMCs are in a
good position to service
these clients as they have
already profiled them and
can tailor packages based
on this info.
The devices travellers
use to book travel also
provide suppliers with useful
information. Generally,
people use their computers
to book travel 21 days in
advance. They’re more
inclined to use their iPads or
tablets when booking seven
days before travel and their
mobile phones 48 hours
before. More suppliers are
using this information to
push special deals to clients
accordingly, for example
offering mobile users lastminute
deals