Mobile Hotel Distribution - No, It’s Not Billboards and Neon Vacancy Signs
Presentation by Robert Cole of RockCheetah for the Hospitality Financial & Technology Professionals (HFTP) 2010 HITEC Conference June 23, 2011 in Orlando, Florida.
is Challenging • Why Mobile Travel is Complicated • Mobile Web v. Mobile Apps • Mobile Business Considerations • Mobile Development Considerations • Location Based Services • Disruptive Mobile Innovations June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 2
2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 3 Mobile Distribution Was Pretty Much Limited to: and Image Credit: BGLewandowski on Flickr | 28flavors on YouTube
– Device Follows the User – Mobile – GPS Provides Geographic Context - Local – Supports Many Forms of Communication – Social – Devices are Typically Not Shared – Personal • Smartphones Extends the Senses – Sight (Camera) – Sound (Microphone) – Feeling (Touch-screen) – Balance (Accelerometer) June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 6
Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 8 Smartphone use is on the rise. Mobile web adoption is ramping up 8x faster than Internet in the mid-90s. In the Travel vertical, purchase intent on Mobile ads is 5x higher than on desktop ads. Mobile Travel bookings are projected to grow 700% in 2 years. 0 500 1000 1500 2000 Mobile travel searches $20M 2008 $160M 2010 Projection Data Sources: : Forrester, 2009. Google Internal Data, February 2010. InsightExpress, February 2010. PhoCusWright, January 2010
Case Study – Click-through rates may be a lot higher for mobile ads than desktop – Impressive returns on the iPhone with campaign CTR nearing 20% • Google Travel Booking Recommendations – Purchase intent on Mobile Travel ads is 5x Higher than desktop ads – Target efforts • Drive-up bookings • Incremental night stays • Last minute flight changes – Highlight promotions – Motivate consumers to interact and spend with your brand June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 10
Users – 25% of iPhone & Android Users 2 hours per day on Apps – Booking Functionality is Expected by Consumers – Support Branded Assets by Driving Downloads & Usage • Let Travelers Use The Phone! – Adding Phone Number to Ad Text Increased CTR 5-30%! – Google Mobile Calls 22% More Likely to be Relevant & 31% More Likely to Result in Booking than calls other lead sources – 1 Out of 3 Mobile Searches Has ‘Local Intent’ June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 11
More Last Minute • Search Queries are 2-3 Words • Requires Create Mobile Landing Pages for SEO • Separate Campaigns Required for Mobile – Must Reflect Different User Behaviors • Geo-location is Important, but not Everything – Time of User Access is Important – Lunch-time / Evening June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 12
Individual Maintains Same Demographic, but • Purpose of Travel Dictates Decision Processes • Multiple Traveler Personas Exist – Business Meeting – Industry Conference – Family Vacation – Romantic Getaway – Weekend with College Friends June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 14
Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 16 Data Source: iPerceptions 4Q09 Hospitality and Tourism Industry Report
iOS v. Google Android v. BlackberryOS v. Symbian 3 v. Windows Phone • Different Hardware Capabilities – Varied Power, Features & Screen Sizes • Mobile Web v. Apps – Provide Different User Experiences • Politics v. Rich Internet Applications – Flash / Silverlight / HTML 5 & H.264 June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 17
Golden Age of the Web Ending – Information Sharing Was Based on Compatible Formats • Now, the Age of Walled Gardens – Content Controlled by Platform Owner – Content Hidden From Search Engines by Passwords • Apple – iStore – Excludes Flash Applications – Bars Google AdMob Advertising • Facebook – Friends & Likes – Social Graph Exists Only After Facebook Login June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 18 *Term “Splinternet” coined by Josh Bernoff, Forrester Research Senior VP - Idea Development
Year Old / 4 Different Versions – Version 1.5 – 24.9% Share – Version 1.6 – 25.1% – Version 2.1 – 50.0% – Version 2.2 – Available for Nexus One • Google Approach “Google treats partners equally, but will not slow the rate of innovation so weaker players can keep up” “By constantly raising the bar, both in terms of reference devices and software, Google aims to keep innovating and drive that innovation as a differentiator” “Android isn't a summer camp for handset vendors and not everyone gets a trophy for showing up” June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 21 Source: Michael Gartenberg Altimeter Group
Robust GUI Options –Does Not Require Online Access –Access to Phone “Senses” & Native Data –App Store Marketing Opportunities –Clear Monetization Model June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 23
the Target User? • Purpose – What Do the Users Want to Accomplish? • Platform – What Types of Devices Are They Using? • Process – Define Most Efficient Navigation & Workflow June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 24
Bookings – Ancillary Revenue – Customer Service • How Can You Create Value For the Guest? – Save Time? – Save Money? – Enhance Experience? June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 25
– Good Device – Good Network – Good Browser • Promotion – Must Be Differentiated – Provide Unique Benefits • Greatest Challenges – Breaking Through Clutter – Must be Found – Maintaining Engagement / Avoiding Deletion June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 27
Mobile Site • MUST –Provide Information Quickly –Focus on Specific Tasks –Direct Path to Data –Leverage Device Features June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 29
Know Phone Location / Know Destination • Click to Talk – Provide Phone Number in Mobile Ads – Include Context Appropriate Phone Numbers • Integrate Social Networks – Help Customers Promote Your Brand / Location • Negotiate Development Costs Aggressively – Restaurant Group: 23 Sites = $8,000 (Orig. $37K) June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 30
Opt-In for Promotional Message Delivery • Are Offers Relevant? – Popular or High Demand Product/Features? – Appropriate for Individual? – Provides Consumer Value? – Simple to Convert? • Avoid Bait & Switch Offers and Trailer-plays • Provide Options to Engage Their Social Network • In Destination Engagement May Not Be Forever June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 31
Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 33 “I was in downtown Orlando for MegaCon this weekend and bid for a last minute three-star room for $75 – all while in line for a panel.”
– Frequent Guest Program Members – Returning Guests (Non-Program Members) – First Time Guests (Not Familiar with Property) • Types of Specials – Most Frequent Visitor (Mayorship) – Check-In (Discount / Value Add for Visit) – Frequency (Bonus for Nth Check-In) – Wildcard Offer (Special Offer for Having a Badge) June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · 36
Point Camera Down Street, See Reviews • Kayak Connect - Booking – Mobile Meta-search Gets Transactional • Google Store Views – Google Maps Street Views Goes Indoors • Apple iTravel – Streamlining the Travel Experience • Openways – Innovative Mobile Door Locking System June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 37
Room Key – Engages Guest Prior to Arrival / Kept through Stay • Does not Require Replacement of Door Locks – Device Added to Existing Lock Set • Smartphone – App Downloads Unique Audio Code From Cloud • Feature Phone – SMS Text Message / Calls Servcer / Plays Code • Will Support NFC in Future June 23, 2010 - Orlando, Florida HITEC 2010 - Mobile Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · Page 45
Distribution Robert Cole | RockCheetah · 47 What Did You Think? In order to help us create/provide a better HITEC experience in the future, please take a second to fill out our short survey. And THANK YOU for attending HITEC! Learn how HFTP membership can benefit you, visit www.hftp.org Robert Cole RockCheetah LLC [email protected] http://rockcheetah.com/blog/
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