Data is everywhere but how do you create value for individual users? It isn’t easy but in this case study we hear how data science can deliver more personal results
Consider this common hypothetical scenario. A user opens a browser and taps in ‘cheap flights from Boston to London’. Needless to say, what appears first in search are the ten blue links from Google. After some surfing, the user is then drawn to a metasearch engine like Skyscanner, Kayak or Momondo, where flights can be filtered by date and price. Here the cheapest deal is, let’s say, from Norwegian Airlines, and as the meta aggregates offers from various providers, the user again opens multiple links to deals from online travel agencies (OTAs). Time spent on each site is never much longer than around 30 seconds.
At one OTA where tech firm AltexSoft has been gathering user interaction data for a year, typically the user opens the flight details, hastily closes a pop-up window without reading the contents, and continues searching. Then within two days, the user returns to the OTA to close the top deal.
AltexSoft’s data scientists call this type of ticket surfer a ‘economy buyer’. Accounting for around 40-50% of airfare searches, the ‘economy buyer’ looks for the most affordable deals, they don’t spend too much time exploring flight details and aren’t bothered about long layovers or seating.
Back in 2012, Amadeus published a research called Who Travels with You. The study outlined five main segments of travellers: digital natives, young adults, family travelers, empty nesters, and golden oldies. While digital natives and young adults combined are only 22% of the entire travel market, they are the most active web users who prefer booking flights separately from accommodation and leisure activities. But there’s a tangible difference in behaviour between digital natives and young adults. For instance, digital natives usually belong to the ‘economy buyer’ group, while young adults, aged 25-44, with no children, can afford to be more selective in choosing travel services.
