Customers are telling us that right now they finally find the time to rethink their strategies. They are open to stepping back from daily business and evaluating business models, processes and go to market approaches.
Especially airline managers miss a noticeable differentiation in their companies’ product experience. “There is no major difference for a normal passenger between 5-Star champions and Lost Cost Airlines” a sales manager once told us. The airline industry has steered itself into the miserable situation of a pure price war. A situation that can hardly be found in any other people-related industry.
Take a view out of the box:
Airbnb has re-invented the way people define their overnight stays. The offer is based on functional needs such as a spacious house and on the emotional perception of belonging to the local community.
Hotel chains like Marriott have developed stylish brands like Moxy which cater to their guests’ desire to spend the evening in the relaxing atmosphere of a living room lobby instead of a solitary hotel room. Something that was formerly restricted to status guests being privileged to use hotel lounges. A real product differentiator.
Uber has created a new industry challenging the traditional taxi business with a globally unique booking and payment experience
Other industries have managed to differentiate themselves based on brand perception – think of fashion. In no other industry, branding and emotions are that important to win high customer loyalty and attract a price premium
So why not learn from the strategies of successful fashion, hotel or other B2C brands? Why not apply these lessons in a mindful exercise to the strategies of an airline or tour operator? There are so many customer touch points, each one offering opportunities: From the booking experience to the airport experience, the flight experience and even the period between travels.
Why not use the present down time to open our minds, to be creative and to come up with innovative out of the box ideas to improve your product experience in the future? UNEX offers a complimentary creative innovation workshop to jointly identify opportunities for your brand.