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Retargeting to right where your customer’s holiday trip really begins

In today’s world, there is no place on Earth too far away to visit. While everyone is busy planning their year-end travels, there is often one very important consideration – wanting to get the best value in travel prices.

As we know, the number of digital travel touchpoints for customers has grown rapidly. Travelers are now looking for better offers via search engines, booking apps, online travel agencies, and deal sites. According to a recent Expedia Media Solutions Report, some consumers visit up to 38 sites before booking travel. Online marketing agency, Fuel , further reported that nearly half (48.4 per cent) of these consumers said they used search engines when beginning to research for a trip.

With the majority of travellers using digital platforms to kickstart their research, the travel industry must learn to adapt to how it reaches its potential customers. Delivering ultra-precise targeted content is the key to success, and personalised retargeting is what makes it possible.

User segmentation: Fulfil user needs
Segmenting users is made possible by tracking an endless stream of new customer touch points. A precisely-targeted advertising campaign can reach users like never before, finding specific users at various points in their purchasing journey.

This is especially meaningful in the travel sector, where thousands of variables must be calculated quickly to meet the demands of a rapidly changing environment. From the moment a user inputs their destination, the algorithm generates a ton information which can help us understand how they will get to a final purchase.

Product category segmentation is one of the most robust segmentation types. It builds upon products viewed by a potential buyer like flights, cruises, hotels, cars to rent or sightseeing trips. Each of these products is usually set in specific period of time, so even more granular segmentation can be achieved by adjusting the offer to the client’s calendar.

Potential and existing user segmentation identifies users based on their unique customer journey. Factors such as if they are an existing customer or a high-potential buyer enables travel agencies to learn about the kinds of behaviours these users have. Such segmentation can even boil down to:

• Whether a user looks for first or last-minute offers?
• Does the user purchase packaged hotels with flights?
• Is the user a frequent or rare flyer?

These are the important questions that predictive modelling can answer when trying to deliver accurate messages. Experienced retargeting provider can help you define these goals for each group and individually adjust the stakes for each user and bid for them accordingly to achieve the most promising results.

Cross-selling: Offer perfect options
The power of online travel search is rooted in its wide array of choices. You can plan nearly every leg of a trip sitting at home on a computer. If planning a trip now starts at home, travel campaigns must be able to catch on early and follow their purchasing pathway.

Banners with embedded search boxes are an easy way to inspire customers with their next vacation idea or to help undecided ones make a decision. Modern banners offer a lot of options. Banners can now display real search boxes that can redirect to the original website and work like a separate engine, not just as a pop-up ad.

In-depth product recommendations are also possible thanks to advanced deep learning-based algorithms. For example, if a user books a trip to Barcelona, they will need a flight, hotel, and maybe a car to rent. With a robust engine, travel agencies can even collect and analyse other relevant data on a highly personal level, such as the user’s search of Montserrat, or concert tickets for the Primavera Sound Festival.

Leveraging that, the travel campaign can be based on those data to provide tailor-made banners according to each user.

Cross device: Anywhere, anytime offers
Today’s consumers use a myriad of devices to browse, search and shop. It is crucial to have a platform that is able to meet customers wherever they are, on any device.

According to PhoCusWright , 41 per cent of travelers research trips on smartphones or tablets. 55 per cent of those travellers would then proceed to book trips on their desktops or laptops even though they researched using a mobile device.

Platform prediction is made possible through advanced analytics and predictive modelling. Advertising campaigns on different platforms enables marketers to run cross-device campaigns, target consumers on-the-go, and take advantage of not only timings in their offers, but the platform most likely to be used to make the booking.

Travel ecommerce meets customers on their terms
Online travel providers have always been part of the e-commerce world, but digital transformation is making it even more demanding to meet a rapidly changing environment with an influx of new data streams.

By leveraging these new data points and having a retargeting technology provider, brands can reach new breakthroughs in understanding their customer lifecycle. They can reach customers early in the buying process, on their own personal devices, or in the comfort of their own home as they plan their journey.


Chandra Kuncara

Chandra Kuncara is the Country Director, Southeast Asia for RTB House.