Many brands in the airline sector recognize the importance of loyalty programs to build customer preference and grow revenue. Skift Research shows that 70 percent or more of the overall ancillary business of the largest airline loyalty programs comes from loyalty revenues. In response to the shift towards leisure travel post-pandemic, loyalty programs have had to adjust to new norms by focusing on flexibility, providing unique experiences, and expanding to non-travel-related spending. This includes partnerships with co-branded credit cards to incentivize higher status through various channels.
After launching a loyalty program, brands must continue to build and sustain customer preference. This requires customization based on personalization, flexibility, localization, extensive inventory sources, and a strong travel tech partner. Personalizing the booking experience by utilizing machine learning and data mining to understand customer preferences is crucial. By segmenting audiences based on previous engagement and purchase history, companies can cater to different preferences, strengthen customer loyalty, and foster deeper connections.
Localization is another key aspect of tailoring the booking experience. Rocket Travel by Agoda focuses on enhancing the travel experience for its partners’ customers through flexibility and localization across multiple verticals. This includes adapting services and experiences to meet the specific cultural, linguistic, and practical needs of different regional markets, as well as offering diverse payment options, currencies, and languages. Prioritizing flexibility throughout travel systems, such as easing change fees and offering flexible cancellation policies, is crucial to making travel easier for customers amid ongoing uncertainty.
Maximizing inventory to expand choice is essential for brands to cater to every type of traveler and offer a diverse range of travel reward options. By offering a wide array of options, from luxury hotels to unique local experiences, companies can attract a broader audience and tailor rewards to individual traveler profiles. Rocket Travel by Agoda’s agnostic approach to inventory sources allows them to offer an extensive range of options from various partners, tailored to each partner’s strategic needs. This broad range of offerings can be customized to different regions and customer needs, such as focusing on API-enabled partnerships in China and white-label solutions in other parts of the world.
Collaborating with a white-label partner can help brands keep their loyalty platforms updated and optimized, staying ahead of the curve with cutting-edge technology and industry best practices. Rocket Travel by Agoda’s expertise in white-label solutions and loyalty programs, combined with the reach and access of the Booking Holdings family of brands, allows them to operate with significant expertise on a local level and global reach. By partnering with the right travel tech partner, brands can ensure their loyalty programs continue to evolve and meet the changing needs and preferences of their customers.
