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Emotional data – a void that would only make predictive analytics stronger

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By: Wise Marketer Staff |

Posted on February 1, 2019

Capturing emotion-related data from a human interaction isn’t as easy as acceptance of cookies for behavioral data from a website.

And until the time brands can capture it, the single view of the customer won’t be complete, writes Ritesh Gupta.  

Being a step ahead of a customer in the booking funnel is like a pulsating race. More so in the leisure travel category, when one thinks of how travelers tend to dream, plan, shop, consume and even cherish a trip at a later date. So pre-empting what a customer would ideally require / aspire is one of the most fascinating facets of being a travel marketer today.

As much as one can expect the blend of data, predictive analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence to deliver, organizations have to be sensitive to the issue of data privacy. A customer data platform for optimizing customer segments and unique profiles of customers can do wonders, but a marketer’s hands are seemingly tied when it comes to capitalizing on all sources of data. So this can limit the optimization of predictive analytics.    

Predictive analytics: a work in progress

Australian low-cost airline JetStar Airways is using data from multiple sources to serve passengers in an optimal manner.

Catriona Larritt, Jetstar Airways’s Chief Customer Officer shared that the organization is currently evaluating real-time behavioral and historical transactional data to understand the buying behavior as well as potential future purchasing intent.

“The meaningful use of data - from customer, operational, and other sources, and contextual selling will open new possibilities that are currently unimagined,” said Larritt. She is confident that data and customer insights will lead to the development of new customer experiences, products and services that are more personalized and offered at the right time, on the right channel at the right price.

For all of this to work, an organization has to make the most of every interaction – be it via a digital or offline touchpoint.

As barriers are broken to collect data and bring it on to a central repository such as a customer data platform, establishing such a mechanism & infrastructure will only help airlines to serve their customers better.

“We are looking at both customer segments and personas, as well as at individuals. When they (travelers) book with us, we know who they are,” added Larritt. “The team that works on personalization – thrives on close alignment between data analytics (data engineers and scientists) and digital marketing team (data-based customer teams, user experience designers, marketers and product specialists) to work out a feasible product or a service that travelers would appreciate.”

This is a positive development indeed. As airlines come to grips with data privacy, for instance, the possibility of capturing offline interactions and evaluating the emotion resulting from it, the prospects of "knowing" travelers through data will only improve.

Ritesh Gupta is a reporter at large for The Wise Marketer.