Small companies should not be left behind in the data game, advised Luke Donkin, sales director for Adara in Australia, New Zealand and Pacific.
Asked if smaller players will lose their competitive edge of being able to offer personal service and products since big companies now have access to technology and big data that allow them to do the same, Donkin said, “small players can still do more to keep their edge. It’s about being in the frontline. Stay wise and be educated in what can be done.”
“We can service companies just for a few thousand dollars a month. The understanding of the customer’s habits and travel behaviours will allow our clients to potentially yield exponential higher return on this investment,” said Donkin (pictured left).
Adara, as a global data aggregator, has built its products on “the world’s richest travel data co-op”. “Traveller resolution gets clearer and more precise with each partner that joins”, it proclaims.
Since the General Data Protection Regulation was put in place by the EU May last year, the processes that Adara handles and exchanges data between partners and itself are “fully compliant” and all data collection is opt-in.
Donkin feels Australia’s travel players are still mostly going for one-size-fits-all approach to marketing but are starting to adapt and use the data and technology that is out there to do better. He said personalisation is mostly being done on the booking process but still more can be done throughout the customer experience.
“Having the information inhouse will allow for greater engagement and retention with prospective customers. Being able to identify higher yielding prospects to offer things like upgrades and lounge accesses for airlines and hotels can generate repeat business when you know who to sell to, and when,” said Donkin.
Donkin and his team have their work cut out for them. “Our pipeline is really everyone who wants to join the co-op. In data co-operation, sharing is key. We can all monetize the data and learn more about our customers,” he said.
While Adara has large global chains like Marriott, Hyatt, Avis, and Hertz already sharing their data, he is specifically interested in having the Australian domestic airlines come on board as well. “Meanwhile, we have data from distribution systems and OTAs as well,” he added.
Featured image credit: Getty Images
