According to Customer Insights research, only 23% of travelers say they’ve downloaded the app for the travel brands they use the most. This means that those brands are missing out on potential sales that could be made on their website rather than others. It’s up to travel businesses to make their apps an essential mobile app, and ensure that customers rely on them during valuable micro-moments. Consider travelers like amateur mountaineers. Your travel app should be their sherpa.

Leverage micro-moments to increase travel sales 

If a travel business books every seat, room or car available, they might think they are out of business opportunities––but they’re missing out on hundreds of related sales. Travel companies might not realize it, but booking a trip is hardly the start of a traveler’s journey (and their relationship with travel apps). To make more sales, build trust, and maintain customers for the long haul, travel businesses should always aim to make every aspect of the journey easier – before, during, and after each trip. This is where micro-moments can revolutionize a travel business.

What are micro-moments?

A micro-moment is when a person turns to a device in order to satisfy an impulse desire or need. These impulses fall under categories like: a need to know, a need to do, or a need to buy. And with the average smartphone user checking their device 47 times a day, it’s important for travel businesses to capitalize on these moments. 

Leveraging micro-moments is all about matching impulses with offers. Astute marketers will operate at a near-telepathic level, using real time data to satisfy customer needs.

Smartphone users are thirsty for knowledge and guidance when it comes to travel. They are quick to turn to their phone in times of an impulse, and incur valuable micro-moments. It’s up to travel businesses to use these opportunities to connect with users, and make their trips a little bit easier and memorable.

Satisfying a micro-moment impulse means answering several questions quickly and visually. Immediately after answering ‘what is it?” and “how much does it cost?”, it is important to make it easy to see “where is it?”, “how far away is it” and “how do I get there?”. Maps are the visual tool to answer these questions quickly and easily, as well as present other relevant information.  

Types of micro-moments in travel

There are micro-moments associated with the four stages of the travel process: Dreaming, planning, booking, and experiencing.

The four micro-moments that correlate with these stages are:

I-want-to-get-away moments

This is the “dreaming” phase. Whether they’re imagining Australia or Albuquerque, people explore travel ideas with no set destination or plan. They are researching the best cities to visit during the winter time, or the best bucket-list summer road trips. Travel apps need to have the tools to help answer questions, provide useful information, and inspire action. A spur of the moment web search could be a micro-moment marketers can convert into a sale or newsletter sign-up.

Time-to-make-a-plan moments

This is the “planning” phase. Once they have decided on a destination, travelers start looking into specifics including dates, flights, hotels, and experiences. For example, if someone  has narrowed their search to the city of Miami, travel apps can present a custom map displaying hotels or prices based on factors like location, dates, and amenities. This at-a-glance map might be a difference-maker for accommodation bookings.

Let’s-book-it-moments

This is the “booking” phase. A traveler has done all their research and is ready to book their trip! Travel apps need to make this process easy for customers. Suggesting a rental car booking along with their flight, offering bundled vacation packages, or providing shuttle reservation information can increase revenue while saving customers time, money, and stress. 

Can’t-wait-to-explore moments

This is the “experiencing” phase. Travelers have begun their trip, and they want to get everything they can out of it. They are eager for on-the-go inspiration and helpful information. This final stage - when the traveler is eager to explore and experience - provides the greatest opportunity to leverage micro-moments.

85% of leisure travelers decide on their vacation activities only after having arrived at their destination. They are winging it, and if you do not present experiences for them to purchase - travelers will turn to your competitor instead. 

By “thinking ahead”––using the insights available to anticipate traveler needs––travel companies can make themselves a valuable resource. For example, if a traveler is staying in a luxury hotel, this is information for your mobile travel app to display relevant higher-end restaurants on a custom map. If the travelers are frequenting areas that appeal to young people, you can use the map to display affordable activities like a beach bike rental.

Your mobile app should provide customers easy access to the best possible information. This enables your business and travel app to be a one-stop-shop in micro-moments. Plus, when a mobile app becomes a great resource for travelers, your business can create partnerships with other travel companies to offer exclusive deals and promotions. 

Use Mapbox data to seize micro-moments 

With Mapbox, your travel business can have access to high-quality data. In addition, Mapbox provides the tools to analyze what users of travel apps want depending on a variety of data-driven factors, and use visually compelling maps to recommend activities, route customers to the best destinations, or propose future bookings.

Build custom maps based on traveler demographics

Using Mapbox Studio, travel app developers  can create their own custom maps with full data management and design control. By inputting the data that’s most relevant to your customers needs, you can create travel maps that are specific to them. This includes maps targeted towards specific demographics and relevant interests. A bachelor-party map will be very different from a map for a family vacation. In addition, apps can enable travelers to customize their own maps based on their interests.

Highlight key points of interest

Mapbox can also enable your travel map to highlight key points-of-interest based on data. For example, if the data shows that travelers often need to stop for fuel in a certain location, your maps can display fuel brands and prices in that area. If many travelers are students touring college campuses, the map can display services most frequently used by students.

Mapbox can enable you to deliver the go-to travel app

With precise data and development tools from Mapbox, travel companies can build applications that are relevant, predictive, and easy-to-use. These apps can address the impulse needs and desires of travelers during the dreaming, planning, booking, and experiencing phases. By leveraging these micro-moments, you will become a valuable resource for travelers who they will rely on for their current and future trips.