Back to Regional e-Newsletter NEU Q1 2010
Welcome
Rob Watkins, Regional Vice President
Sales and Relationship Management, Northern Europe
Smartphones, with their vast array of rich applications, are becoming increasingly popular. Our 2009 Passenger Self Service Survey shows that twice as many airline passengers now carry them as did in 2008. The challenge for air transport marketing professionals is to know what applications and functionality will be both profitable and popular with passengers and what will be deemed to be overly intrusive sales and marketing tactics.
Clear favourites include passengers' ability to use their smartphones to look up flights, make bookings, check-in, and receive their bar coded boarding pass. In the future, smartphones will also carry all travel documents, including itineraries and epassports.
But what about "push" promotional strategies? As the quality of information (delays, gate number, distance/time to gate) is improving, the number of passengers willing to sign up for SMS updates is rapidly increasing.
Information about special deals and offers are equally well received. Nearly 43% of passengers we surveyed in six major hubs across the world said they would register to receive SMS notifications about best deals and price offers.
Driving this acceptability is convenience and a better travel experience.
If passengers are prepared to accept push promotional tactics from airlines, how do airports and airport retailers in particular get in on the act? Again SITA's research clearly shows that contextual campaigns based on real-time customer needs and actions such as location information and retail promotions are gaining acceptance. To support that, in a recent third party trial at Manchester Airport, recipients of vouchers sent to a mobile phone spent 45% more than other shoppers at the retail outlets.
The danger of alienating passengers as airlines and airports rush to compete in this land-grab is real however. As with all technological developments, there is a world of difference between what could be done and what should be done. Over the next year or two, some airlines and airports will no doubt push the boundaries and perceived intrusiveness of their push mobile strategies but it will be the passengers who have the last word. People always drive what marketers do and how we speak to them.
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