Lately as regular readers of this blog will know - I have been spending time with younger users. Millenials who will represent the next generation of users. Their parents are my generation and some of them are both colleagues and students.
In speaking particularly to teachers I have found that there is a greater awareness of the lack of attention with the distractions available to teens and recent adults. I am not criticizing them in any way. This is a fact of life. This will have a major impact on their interaction with the products and services we create in Travel.
eMarketer cites several studies in a recent piece on defections. What is particularly worrying as to how many just find it boring with generally the high abandonment rates.We are approaching a problem I have long suspected exists. We actually have too many shiny objects to cope with. As a result we lose interest and move onto the next thing. And if we - (in my case as a Boomer) - lose interest quickly just think how difficult it is to maintain the interest of a Millenial?
In my opinion we need to start to engage differently with the emerging user generation(s). That means we have to do a better job of providing access to the services.
Key amongst these will be:
A social component.
Individual content
more implicit interaction (ie a direct opposite to the current explicit interaction required).
Engaging and maintaining interest by constant refreshing.
it is the last one that makes me cringe because keeping things fresh is always hard. For the travel industry - that has been assumed to be fresh content - new products and promotions. But in my view it has to be deeper. Don't please ask me how yet - I am just coming to grips with the issue.
I do know however that if we don't then the abandonment rates for travel products and services on the web will rise. And travel sites will become as yesterday's news as Second Life and Myspace.
Cheers
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