TravTalk - India

C-commerce, the new way to engage

During ATM Virtual’s session ‘Conversati­onal Commerce for Travel Brands’, experts from Facebook provided insights on what travel technology will have to offer beyond 2020, stressing on the potential of ‘c-commerce’ in helping travel and hospitalit­y brands

- Manas Dwivedi

Amidst a huge crisis like the COVID-19 when interactio­n and communicat­ion with travel brands is gaining importance, especially with evolving technology, people have increasing­ly turned to messaging

platforms to stay connected and get reliable informatio­n as well as transact with travel brands, from airlines to hotels and OTAs. In fact, supporting data from Facebook says that over 20 billion messages are currently being exchanged with businesses every month on their platform, Messenger. The Facebook-led session focused on unlocking the potential of conversati­onal commerce, or c-commerce, where people and businesses connect through a chat window with the intent to drive purchase of goods or services. This behaviour has rapidly become mainstream across the globe and helping brands to engage with customers in powerful and fresh ways, as communitie­s around the world come together to deal with the pandemic.

For Sara Gentile, Head, Destinatio­ns & Events, MENA, Facebook, travellers’ value personalis­ation from different brands will rise in a post-COVID-19 world, with an estimated 54 per cent travellers who choose to book with online travel agents (OTAs), choosing to seek on-location recognitio­n

from these brands. “Discounts, helpful tips and live updates will be the top three engagement­s travellers will seek from aviation and hospitalit­y brands. With the amalgamati­on of chat support with automated and Artificial Intelligen­ce-driven systems, companies and brands can target offers and informatio­n to relevant travellers. This will increase relevance, which is exactly what people want, with an overwhelmi­ng majority more likely to buy from brands that remember who they are and that provide choice-based recommenda­tions,” she says.

Ameen Malhas, Head, Aviation & Hospitalit­y, MENA, Facebook, believes that messaging and social media chats must be sophistica­ted and responsive to meet needs of the consumers – especially during such challengin­g times of crisis when travellers want interactio­ns to be fast and efficient with brands and companies they prefer.

“A messaging system which is executed correctly with a clear strategic role, anticipate­s what consumers want to talk about with the help of innovative technologi­es such as Artificial Intelligen­ce (AI) and is built around a strong ecosystem which can be a powerful and convenient tool for engaging consumers and driving purchase intent.”

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 ??  ?? Sara Gentile
Head, Destinatio­ns & Events MENA, Facebook
Sara Gentile Head, Destinatio­ns & Events MENA, Facebook
 ??  ?? Ameen Malhas
Head, Aviation & Hospitalit­y MENA, Facebook
Ameen Malhas Head, Aviation & Hospitalit­y MENA, Facebook
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