As travel returns at speed, consumers are attaching an increased value to travel-related benefits as they celebrate their return to the skies. Brands now have the opportunity to leverage the return of travel to re-engage and build stronger relationships with their most valued customers.
At the recent ITB India held in-person at Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai on 26 -28 April 2023, Sumit Prakash, Collinson’s Country Director for India and South Asia delivered a C-Suite Talk on the topic, “Travel 2.0: Leveraging the Return of Travel to Deepen Customer Engagement and Drive Better Returns”.
Key takeaways from the session include:
- Consumers in India today are expecting brands to offer them experiences that are personalised and add value to their lives. To stay relevant, brands will need to demonstrate a keen understanding of their customers; adapt and deliver to their evolving expectations.
- The return of travel presents brands in the travel and hospitality industry with new opportunities to enhance travel-related experiences – one that will add value to their customers’ journey.
- A sneak preview of an upcoming consumer insights report commissioned by Collinson was provided, including the following insights from survey respondents:
- 89% would stay with a brand that offered travel-related rewards and benefits
- 59% feel valued as a customer if they are given access to airport lounges, while 57% feel rewarded and 54% will stay loyal to the brand providing the benefits
- 66% prefer brands to engage with them on a mobile app, followed by 54% via email
- 62% are willing to share their data, provided they see a compelling reason to do so
