Rocket Travel by Agoda’s Post

Customisation is key! This article by Skift talks about the impact of customisation on sustaining loyalty over time, in an age where loyalty schemes appear to be shifting from ‘a mere perk’ to ‘a pivotal component’ of a brand’s strategy to encourage repeat business. Sarah Moore, SVP at Rocket Travel by Agoda, says “Many programs are focusing on flexibility, like making bookings made by points fully refundable, and providing unique experiences to keep customers engaged and excited. In addition, some brands are expanding their loyalty programs to include non-travel-related spending. For example, with co-branded credit cards, airlines are able to deepen customer engagement and incentivize higher status through a variety of channels, including hotel bookings, car rentals, and other travel services.” It’s not just about having this flexibility as a part of your rewards scheme, but also to clearly communicate this to your customers, emphasising that they themselves are in control of their experience. https://lnkd.in/e2pvfY66 #Loyalty #CustomerLoyalty #SalesGrowth #BusinessStrategy #Innovation #Sales #CommercialPartnerships #CustomerEngagement

According to Skift Research, for seven out of 10 of the largest airline loyalty programs, 70 percent or more of the overall ancillary business of the airline comes from loyalty revenues. However, with travelers overwhelmed by so many options, brands must innovate beyond conventional loyalty schemes to win a share of mind and wallet. Explore how brands across all sectors can integrate travel loyalty solutions into their programs with Rocket Travel by Agoda. Sponsored by Rocket Travel by Agoda https://hubs.li/Q02DW9_w0

According to Skift Research, for seven out of 10 of the largest airline loyalty programs, 70 percent or more of the overall ancillary business of the airline comes from loyalty revenues. However, with travelers overwhelmed by so many options, brands must innovate beyond conventional loyalty schemes to win a share of mind and wallet. Explore how brands across all sectors can integrate travel loyalty solutions into their programs with Rocket Travel by Agoda. Sponsored by Rocket Travel by Agoda https://hubs.li/Q02CQVYF0

How can brands incorporate more personalized experiences to drive customer #loyalty and overcome #travel booking fatigue? Read the article from Custom Travel Solutions on PhocusWire: https://bit.ly/3IHrt5z #travelbooking #travelplanning #travelindustry

🛫 Introducing Athera Air - Your Ultimate Air Ticket Booking Companion! 🛬 We're thrilled to unveil Athera Air, a bespoke Air Ticket Booking Platform tailored to meet the specific requirements of Travel Agencies. 🎉 In today's fast-paced world, where convenience meets customization, Athera Air stands as the bridge between traditional in-person service and the seamless online experience. Our platform is meticulously designed to empower travel agencies to not just survive but thrive in the digital era. 💼💻 Here's why Athera Air should be your go-to solution for revolutionizing your travel agency: 🔹 Flexible Options, Unrivalled Customer Satisfaction: Embrace the future of travel booking with Athera Air's flexible options and unmatched customer satisfaction. 🔹 Enhance Your Digital Footprint: Accelerate growth and expand your agency's reach with our state-of-the-art ticket booking platform. 🔹 Streamlined B2C System: Launch your own B2C booking engine effortlessly with Athera Air's streamlined solution, reducing development costs and time. 🔹 Excellence in Every Aspect: From lead generation to ROI maximization, experience excellence with our meticulously crafted websites and premium development services. 🔹 Optimize Resource Allocation: Mitigate time delays and ensure unparalleled customer satisfaction through efficient planning and management with our online travel booking software. 🔹 Seamless Integration: Seamlessly integrate our platform into your organization's framework for efficient operations management. 🔹 Unmatched Affordability: Enjoy unrivalled affordability with Athera Air's online reservation system. 🔹 Comprehensive Features: Benefit from enhanced reservation flow, robust sales and analytics tools, multi-language and multi-currency support, and much more! But wait, there's more! 🌐 Athera Air doesn't just stop at booking flights; we're here to transform your entire booking and reservation system. With dynamic banners, secure online payment options, automated email notifications, and personalised discounts, we're here to elevate your customer experience to new heights. ✈️💼 Ready to embark on a journey of digital transformation? Explore the Demo platform today and discover the endless possibilities with Athera Air! 🚀 #AtheraAir #TravelTech #DigitalTransformation #AirTicketBooking #TravelAgencySolutions #InnovationInTravel

🌍✈️ In a rebounding travel sector, unlocking the power of rewards can significantly enhance customer experiences and loyalty, as per a recent Hospitality Tech article. Key highlights include: 62% of customers prefer complimentary products/services from loyalty programs. Embedded rewards like digital prepaid cards and eGifts can drive a 174% increase in cross-sell/up-sell revenue. Utilizing technology ensures rewards reach customers instantaneously, enriching their journey. A well-implemented rewards program isn't just beneficial; it's essential in today's competitive landscape. Ready to embark on a journey of growth? 🛄💼 #TravelTech #CustomerLoyalty #BusinessGrowth

According to this McKinsey report, Loyalty programs in travel & hospitality are mis-named and not really driving much customer loyalty at all. For hotel companies in particular, getting it right is tough, having to triangulate between (1) program cost (to owners/enterprise), (2) value created for customers and (3) operational complexity to deliver the value at the right point in the journey. It seems customer perception of the value created is not where it should be with significant falls in customer recommendations in the past 2 years (see exhibit 1). Creativity, focus on experience and personalisation seem central to future success. #loyaltyprograms #hospitality #cx

Watch out for OTA co-brand cards! Last week Wells Fargo and Expedia Group launched two new credit cards. Maybe you don't use Expedia and shrugged this one off but here are two points💡💡 as to why this is significant. 👇 On the value prop, I'll link to the press release and a Proud Money video in the comments but here are the basics: 🗝One Key Card vs One Key + Card - No annual fee vs $99 annual fee - $400 bonus vs $600 bonus - Silver tier vs Gold tier (higher earn potential) - Both earn 3% on Expedia sites and gas/grocery/dining purchases - 1.5% vs 2% on other purchases - One Key + Card also has a $100 anniversary bonus (OneKeyCash) Why it's significant? 💡Rising Online Travel Agency (OTA) Usage. Despite direct bookings still being more popular, OTA usage has been rising. The percentage of travelers using OTAs increased from 38% in 2022 to 43% in 2024 according to Mintel. This growth is attributed to aggressive marketing strategies and the launch/expansion of loyalty programs like One Key. Both Expedia Group and Booking Holdings spent close to $7 BILLION on marketing in 2023 up significantly from just a couple of years ago. The momentum is building. 💡💡Card category evolution. One of the key drivers is the development of loyalty programs that bring these travel brand stables together under one umbrella that can be reflected in a credit card. Wells Fargo previously had the hotels.com credit card and Citi had Expedia and now they both fall under One Key issued by Wells. Booking Holdings was/is rumored to be launching a credit card after it expanded its Genius Rewards program from Booking.com to its other sites including Kayak and Priceline (Barclays currently issues the Priceline credit card). One more to think about is Airbnb. Card rumors have swirled for a few years about a potential Airbnb credit card and with travel booming the timing would be good AND in an interesting twist to the plot, banks are now promoting their own travel portals with many of them powered by these very OTA's that are working with banks to offer credit cards. It's an increasingly complex ecosystem! More competition means better value props and that's what ultimately makes this launch a significant indicator that reflects these underlying trends. #OTA #travel #cobrand #advertising #marketing

Great write up on how booking sites can increase profitability. Based on my experience here are my thoughts: 1. Upsell room categories - it’s so much easier to upswell then to acquire a new customer. (In rapid API we provide detailed descriptions and images for every room type, making upsell an easy strategy) 2. Offer more value at higher category e.g free breakfast (In our API we offer value added services in 70k+ hotels) 3. Verified customer reviews drive conversion. This is a fact (yes in our api we offer millions of verified customer reviews) 4. No nasty surprises - clear cancellation policies, flexibility, taxes and fees all clearly stated (over 90% of hotels in our api offer free cancellations) 5. Intelligent leverage of valuable first party customer data - personalised marketing campaigns can create a win - win - win opportunities and increase profitability (our in house Expedia Group Media Solutions is the best in the travel category) We (in travel) all win when customer wins. At Expedia Group Partnerships we help our #b2b #partners optimise conversion based on our experience and we provide tools and products to increase profitability

From McKinsey Insights: Travel invented loyalty as we know it. Now it’s time for reinvention.Another great piece from McKinsey & Company Lidiya Chapple Ellen Scully "Travel brands were loyalty innovators. But travel loyalty programs might soon hit an inflection point. Now is the time to innovate and win back customers’ allegiances."It's all about customer experience, not loyalty .A study by McKinsey found that ,customers are loyal to Amazon ,a company with no loyalty program ,only becoz it offers the best customer experience 😀. Travel customers are not loyal to a loyalty program,they are loyal to a brand offering the best customer experience. #travelexperience #airlineindustry #dataanalytics #customerexperience #customerinsights