It’s no secret that the hospitality, travel, and leisure industries were some of the most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.
However, the good news is that renewed hope for these crucial South African sectors may lie in the hands of mobile marketing.
According to James Bayhack, Sub-Saharan Africa Director at CM.com, despite anxiety over the continued effects of the pandemic, digital tech is here to assist these industries in recovering from recent turbulence and returning to their former glory.
Bayhack said that the Covid-19 pandemic compelled governments and companies to use technology in response to the crisis, marking an accelerated convergence of the digital and physical.
“With this increased importance of digital tech, marketing techniques and approaches to customer experience need to change to match changing consumer behaviour. Research shows that we have a mobile penetration rate of almost 180% and that 91% of phones in South Africa are smartphones. These numbers show just how central mobile devices are to people’s lives,” said Bayhack.
Here’s how companies in hospitality, travel and leisure can harness the power of mobile marketing to better reach customers, according to Bayhack.
Unique ways to speak to the customer
“Mobile marketing is about reaching people where they are – on their mobile devices, interacting through several channels, whether that’s websites, email, SMS, WhatsApp, or social media platforms. The current consumer landscape dictates that mobile marketing is an important aspect of online marketing that businesses cannot ignore,” said the director.
Bayhack believes that mobile devices offer the perfect opportunity for businesses to enhance the customer journey by providing information and features that show just how much they pay attention to what their customers need.
“In the hospitality, travel, and leisure industries, mobile marketing solutions create new conditions for a personalised and seamless experience, especially as the pandemic and other recent global and local events have brought about significant changes to customer behaviour. Travellers expect almost everything relating to a trip to be available on their mobile device, from receiving notifications and booking confirmations to avoiding queues and even receiving sales or discount information based on their preferences,” said Bayhack.
Connectivity is a key business differentiator
According to Bayhack, mobile marketing could also be a major differentiator for businesses in the hospitality industry.
“With hybrid and remote work still popular among South African employees (a Cisco survey shows that 95% of South African respondents want to work in a hybrid or fully remote working model), there are many opportunities for the travel market to take advantage of. Businesses can use mobile marketing to create innovative solutions to attract this on-the-go audience that is now able to combine travel and work,” said the director.
He said that no matter how big or small an organisation is, every hospitality business can benefit from affordable mobile marketing as their target audience would always have their phones with them wherever they are, providing direct access to travellers and the opportunity to perform location-specific marketing.
Changing times call for changing mobile marketing strategies
And finally, Bayhack believes that businesses heavily centred on creating experiences and relationships with customers must employ mobile marketing solutions that inspire customer loyalty, while increasing customer leads.
“The modern traveller wants to plan a trip ahead of time and research preferred destinations. To help with this, a mobile-friendly website is a necessity. To compete, businesses must ensure that their mobile-first website is visually captivating, with concise text, a touch-based interface, and is built on a quickly downloadable platform,” said Bayhack.
He said that with an increased focus on digital customer experience, mobile marketing gives businesses agility that embodies a perfect balance between traveller experiences and automation, and highlights the convergence of strategies to drive recovery and growth in this critical industry.
Read the latest issue of IOL Travel digital magazine here.