Travel Megatrends 2020: Subscription Travel Is the Next Frontier of Loyalty
Photo Credit: An illustration of a traveler in an airport. Skift
Skift Take
Earning consumer loyalty means more than giving them rewards. Subscriptions and memberships represent a compelling way for travel companies to create lasting relationships with consumers.
The travel industry tends to view its products as a must-have for consumers. This mindset has led the sector to lag behind the entertainment and e-commerce world when it comes to building lasting relationships with digital-first consumers.
Travel competes, both as a consumer good and an entertainment product, with services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Facebook. Travel, hospitality, and experiences represent the antidote to the digital malaise felt in a world where consumers are beset by online shopping and entertainment options.
There is a solution to travel’s challenge of achieving daily, direct engagement on digital platforms that leads to real-life purchases, though. Subscription and membership models will come to travel over the next decade, just not how you might think. A points program isn’t enough to create loyalty; travel is evolving to embrace a membership model that touches various aspects of the traveler’s life beyond the trip.
Points Beyond
Travel companies
