Travelgeddon begins: can industries keep up?
Surging demand has shocked an unprepared travel industry, with many sectors struggling to meet massive amounts of post-pandemic travelers. As almost every state has now lifted COVID travel restrictions, we’re witnessing the reemergence of live events and, as we’ve previously covered, physical stores leveraging unexpected foot traffic upticks.
But can travel-related industries keep up with incoming and ongoing flocks of physical travelers? Let’s take a look at some current travel trends to identify key audience opportunities for increasing efficiency during increased competition as physical traffic continues to ramp up.
Rentalpocalypse 2021
With an increased desire for leisure travel, a pent-up, pandemic-weary public is ready to flick off the masks and hit the open road again, but a lacking supply of rental cars has created a difficult situation for travelers now encountering astronomical rental prices. As fleets of rental cars were sold off during the pandemic in an effort to recoup lost revenue, rental companies are now struggling to attain enough vehicles to meet demand. The ongoing semiconductor chip shortage has exacerbated the issue through decreased auto production, finding rental companies like Hertz now scrambling to purchase used cars for customer deployment. With so many people looking to get places, ridesharing is concurrently receiving an increase in usage and rates, with some major cities reporting a 50% increase in Uber rates to account for a lack of driver supply.
Tracking foot traffic?
When trying to outmaneuver competitors while leveraging increased traffic, social data can assist airline or travel marketers in stealing share through affinity-based outreach.
Sore about soaring
Pandemic belt-tightening didn’t only affect those in auto rental. Air travel has also become affected, with massively rising numbers of vacationers finding long airport lines and even flight cancellations. The surge in demand has proven difficult for some majors to navigate, with American Airlines already canceling flights for hundreds of people through July. Attributed to increased travel demand but shortages of labor, the summer travel cancelations exemplify the currently boiling state of post-pandemic travel. People are eager to get out, but last year’s COVID cutbacks have resulted in depleted workforces and general unreadiness for the explosion of travel traffic. Just as brands and marketers had to quickly adapt strategies and technologies to accommodate digital migrations during last year’s lockdowns, 2021 will necessitate powerful omnichannel approaches to accommodate both physical and digital traffic booms and shifts.
Crowded competition space?
When trying to outmaneuver competitors while leveraging increased traffic, social data can assist airline or travel marketers in stealing share through affinity-based outreach.
It’s a bit of a long road to recovery, but organizations will find themselves adapting quickly to meet the demand of increased physical presences. It’s easy to be caught off guard by temperamental traffic, but keeping tabs on audience trends, as closely to real-time as possible, gives brands and marketers flexibility through foresight. Our expansive set of social data helps marketers maintain effective listening on physical audience trends while achieving increased outreach efficiency during times of increased competition.
Whether marketing within the travel and hospitality sectors or simply reaping the benefits of increased foot traffic, our powerful social data can add fuel to your strategy, allowing you to maximize performance during this pivotal comeback time. For more information, get in touch with us.
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