Developing solution mindsets for offers, fulfillment, and loyalty
Nawal K. Taneja · 2023
While the focus of retailing in the industry appears to have been on growing revenue by increasing the sale of ancillary products and services, revenue opportunities may, in fact, be greater for airlines from the augmentation of their basic core products, some on their own and some through partnerships with other service and technology providers. Think about the value, for example, of finding effective solutions to customers’ end-to-end mobility needs while providing a customer experience that is much more seamless, consistent, and contextualized. Personalization is complex given the lack of sufficient data on behavior, expectations, preferences, and priorities. And each one of these attributes varies based on the situation. Therefore, an important point in the near term might not be personalization, but contextualization. (See Stephen Brobst&s;s foreword for some insights on personalization.) Keep in mind the cost of personalization for specific segments of travelers. How often does the passenger travel—once a week or once a year? Some solutions can be facilitated by advancing technology in information and information systems, and some by advancing technology in vehicles. In both cases, airlines are trying to get better at realigning their conventional business model. Let us start with the increased value of shifting from marketing itineraries to marketing holistic travel solutions.