It is no secret that personalization has been the hot topic for hotel marketers and technology professionals over the past couple of months.
Research has shown that guests searching for travel information are no different than any other online consumer; they are now expecting a significant level of personalization during their travel planning.
In order to bring the attention back to your hotel website and increase interaction, hoteliers need to incorporate personalization strategies sufficient to meet the demands in this new online environment.
The use of customization and targeted search are not new concepts for online shoppers. Top retail brands have set the bar high providing online shoppers with item recommendations based on their recent search history and preferences.
For example, shoppers at shop.nordstrom.com experience personalization in a few different ways when browsing through the site:
- “Recommendations” tab for those looking to browse popular items
- “Nordstrom Rewards” for users that sign in and shop
- “Suggested Items” that are similar to the item you have chosen
- “People also bought” suggestions that match your taste
- “Recently Viewed” items to keep track of your shopping history
- “Frequently bought together” items that complement your item
- “Reviews” from shoppers that have bought item you’re interested in
Custom features such as these have shown significant consumer engagement across the board and in many cases, an increase in online sales.
According to (demandmetric.com), 61% of consumers feel better about a company that delivers custom content and are more likely to buy. This feature is especially successful with sites that see a lot of shopper traffic, such as Amazon and Overstock .
Amazon specifically reports that its recommendation feature: “People who bought this item also bought these items,” generates 35% of its revenue . The same can be said for Netflix users, as 75% select movies and television shows from their recommendations. (venturebeat.com)
Why is personalization so important? With 70% of consumers expecting personalization, it is not something to be ignored (Momentology).
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