Online Marketing Experience for Travelers

After brainstorming numerous topics for my 15 page paper, I found that online travel marketing caught my interest. I am fascinated by this topic because I absolutely love to travel and explore other cultures and backgrounds. Travelling is my way to escape from my normal life. I enjoy meeting people from different cultures and learning about their lives. I truly believe that travelling to other countries allows you to broaden your life.

For the past month, I have been researching numerous websites in search of travelling to Europe. The main source I have used has been the Internet. In my paper, I want to understand how online travel marketing creates the consumer experience for travelers. I want to expand on research techniques that people use before they travel abroad. For example, there are tons of blogs that people post online that talk about their whole trips in detail. One of my greatest resources is http://www.travelblog.com/. They give great traveling tips of what to bring, where to eat, where to go out, and the highlights of the city. It can really help someone plan their entire vacation day to day, especially if they have never been there before. Blogs allow people to read true stories that people experience on their trips and help the reader relate to their situations. Also, if there is a memory that the read can relate to, it creates an emotion that the reader can feel.

People that travel to a new country want to get the most out of it. A big trip requires a lot of planning. Travelers like to customize their trips so they can do things that interest them. It is all for the experience. Going on a vacation takes a lot of thought and planning. People go to different places for different reasons. Some people go to visit family, some go to learn about the history and culture, and some even go to volunteer. There are many websites that make it easy for travelers to book their trip by helping them customize it and plan it. With the internet often being their only source of information, businesses should be aware of how marketable their services are within the online world. As I was searching through online travel websites, I found Trip Advisor. It is an online travel guide that offers reviews and recommendations for hotels, vacation packages, and travel guides. Many people share their crazy experiences through Trip Advisor so that other people can read about it. They can read or write reviews about their vacation highlights as well as post videos and pictures of their travels.

Email marketing has emerged in the Internet world. Through Email marketing, consumers can get access to the best offers and discounts. These promotions differ in each local area and helps consumers save money, especially in hard economic times. Successful businesses that target these travelers must study the consumers very carefully. They need to realize that creating a strong relationship with the consumers is vital. Businesses must also understand the most updated travel trends to understand today’s consumer. Having a user friendly website allows the consumer to also have a great experience without being frustrated. Online travel marketing should appeal to consumers and will affect travelers immensely if it is marketed properly.

Experience is Everything

Everywhere I eat or shop at, I receive some kind of experience, ranging from positive to negative. If I go away feeling that my personal needs were met and were treated with care, then I have had a positive experience. With that positive experience comes loyalty to that specific place. When a company is able to deliver a great experience that sets it apart from other companies, I feel more inclined to increase my spending.

Even a great interaction between the customer and company representative can create a great experience for me. One time, I was at Circuit City planning to buy a lap top. Every time I asked a representative for help, he was not able to answer my questions and sent me to a different salesman. The next salesman was very standoffish and did not seem to care about what I wanted. I went to a third salesman and he allowed his co-workers to interrupt him several times during our conversation. This did not make me feel like a valued customer. I desperately needed a lap top, and since I was not getting any assistance from the salespeople at Circuit City, I went to Best Buy. As I walked in the store, I was immediately greeted and asked if I needed help. Right away, a representative escorted me to the computer section of the store and asked me what features I needed in my lap top. I described everything to him, and within minutes he showed me his top 3 choices that fit my criteria. He gave me the pros and cons, and really gave me a great advice. I bought a new laptop within 20 minutes and it was one of the greatest investments I have ever purchased. Not only was I satisfied with my purchase, I was extremely pleased with the service. After this wonderful experience, I have been a loyal customer to Best Buy for years now.

I was reading the Central Market article and was fascinated about what it had to say. I have been an avid shopper of Wal-Mart, mainly because of its very low prices. I have never been to Central Market until a couple of weeks ago, and now, I’m HOOKED! Although the prices are a little bit higher than Wal-Mart, the service, they layout of the store, the organic food selection, and the people make Central Market more appealing. I was surprised to read how much the company cares about its customers. They target each segment, not only women. I was surprised to hear that Central Market gives out a balloon to each child who enters the store and they also promote kids to eat healthy by giving them their choice of fruit. They also have a cooking class within the store. I have never heard of any supermarket that offers this. It amazes me that they truly care about the happiness of their customers. Not only is the class educational, but also entertaining. I took my mom to a cooking class and she absolutely loved it. This made her start to shop at Central Market as well. Overall, it is the customer’s experience that will draw people away from their usual habits.

Barry Schwartz is a Marketing Genius

The podcast by Barry Schwartz opened my eyes to the effects of consumer decisions. Many people feel that maximizing choices also maximizes the freedom of consumers. Schwartz argues that by eliminating consumer choices can reduce anxiety for shoppers and increase satisfaction. Barry Schwartz talks about two outcomes in the decision making process.

One of the effects of having too many choices leads to paralysis. This paralysis makes it difficult for consumers to make a decision from the numerous options. When people go through paralysis, they continue to put off making a decision and therefore suffer the consequences. For instance, as people withhold from getting a job because they can not choose what they are interested in, they lose out on making an income and then before you know it, there is a recession. People are getting laid off, and there are no job opportunities available. Another negative effect that Barry mentioned was that even when people do make a decision, they end up unsatisfied by their choice and regret their decisions. They continuously contemplate whether or not they have made the best decision and imagine that the alternatives would have been better. Consumers feel that they are missing out on the opportunity cost and are less satisfied with their decision, even if they made a good decision. When I was 16, my parents let me choose a new car, a price under $27,000. This was an incredibly hard decision for me and it took a lot of thought. I looked at all of the options, researched each type on the Internet, and went car shopping. I test drove the Honda Accord, the Acura RSX, the Toyota Camry, and the Mazda 626. This was a very difficult decision for me, seeing as how this was a huge investment. I ended up choosing the Honda Accord. After my parents bought the car for me, I continuously doubted my decision. The alternatives looked more appealing. I felt less satisfied with my decision, but then I learned that it is okay to settle. I learned that you really have to ask yourself, “What do I want?” Whenever I am faced with the choice of picking a restaurant, I choose based upon how I would want the experience to make me feel.

Another main point Schwartz discusses is about the escalation of expectation. One time I had to buy a stereo system for my dad. I had absolutely no expectations when I went to Best Buy. As I went to the electronics aisle, there were 15 different types of stereo systems with all different features. I bought what I believed to be a good stereo system, but since there were so many options that increased my expectation, it also lessened my satisfaction. I did not know if I was really making the right decision. Maybe the secret to happiness for many people is having low expectations so you do not get disappointed. When people hype things up for me, I get overly excited and end up getting disappointed when it does not meet my expectations. I am sure that many consumers can relate to many of Barry’s ideas when it comes to making decisions.