01 August 2023

Unlocking Exclusive Travel Personalization: The Power of Closed User Groups

In the current travel landscape dominated by Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), personalization plays a pivotal role in gaining a competitive edge. Reports indicate that consumers crave personalized experiences, with 80% more likely to make a purchase when such experiences are offered, and 72% only engaging with messages tailored to their interests.

In light of compelling statistics, travel companies are realizing the critical need for personalization. Crafting unique, tailored experiences, from curated travel options to personalized booking journeys, not only enhances user engagement and builds customer loyalty, but also drives conversion rates.

Amidst this trend, Travel Closed User Groups (CUGs) have emerged as a cost-effective way for travel companies to deliver personalization without the hefty investment of building an OTA from scratch.

Understanding Closed User Groups in Travel

A Closed User Group (CUG) is a private platform catering to a specific group of travelers. In the context of a Closed B2C (Business-to-Consumer) website connected to a travel booking platform, provides a private and personalized online space exclusively accessible to a targeted set of customers buying travel products. These platforms are designed to meet the unique needs and preferences of the closed group, offering specialized services, tailored content, and exclusive travel options.

The closed groups are made up of particular travelers that share a membership with the company providing the B2C Travel CUG. Those groups can comprise members of a distinct loyalty program, employees of a specific company, other classes of prequalified clients, members of a particular niche etc.

Usually, individuals must meet specific criteria set by the implementing travel company. Requirements may include affiliation, subscription, product/service purchase, demographic/lifestyle criteria, and loyalty/engagement fulfilment.

Different types of B2C Closed User Groups in Travel

Regular travel clubs: These membership-based organizations provide exclusive privileges to members, including access to special travel deals and discounts on a variety of travel-related products and services.
Corporate travel programs: Companies establish closed user groups specifically for their employees, ensuring they can benefit from discounted rates when booking business-related or leisure travel.
Group travelers: These closed user groups are created for specific gatherings, such as sports teams or fans, religious groups, school classes, facilitating collective travel experiences tailored to their unique needs.
Luxury travelers: Exclusive groups designed by high-end travel companies, offering opulent and personalized travel experiences exclusively for discerning and affluent clientele.
Niche travelers: Specialized CUGs designed for specific demographics and affinities like LGBTQ travelers, honeymooners, family travelers, seniors, or those seeking retreats or spa-centric travel experiences, ensuring tailored journeys to meet their unique preferences.

A B2C CUG as an ideal choice for Niche Travel companies

Niche travel companies face the challenge of standing out in a crowded marketplace while appealing to specific audience segments. They need to curate unique experiences, offer tailored services, and maintain a distinct identity. This includes carefully handpicking properties and destinations, and customizing content like descriptions, pictures, facilities, and even geo-coordinates. Achieving this level of customization can be complex and time-consuming without the right tools.

Addressing these challenges, wbe.travel offers a B2C Closed User Group (CUG) platform, specifically designed to streamline content curation and customization for niche travel businesses. With our platform, you can curate hotel content, categorize hotels by star ratings or regions, and showcase specific flight routes, airlines, or classes. Plus, there’s an overriding feature that lets you replace third-party content with your high-quality alternatives, ensuring your brand’s unique voice and quality standards are maintained.

Travel personalization closed user groups in travel - wbe.travel

Moreover, wbe.travel’s platform offers the capability to host the front-end website on your own server using your IP. This allows for a highly customizable design and booking journey that matches your brand’s unique identity and resonates with your target audience.

By leveraging our CUG platform, niche travel businesses can effectively differentiate themselves in the market, attract their niche customers, and build customer loyalty with unique and tailored travel options. In other words, wbe.travel turns the challenge of niche market content curation into an opportunity for business growth and customer engagement.

Differentiating B2C CUGs from Regular B2C Booking Platforms

Regular B2C booking websites offer a wide range of travel options to the general public. They aim to cater to a broad audience and provide a one-size-fits-all approach to travel booking. These platforms often focus on popular destinations, generic content, and mainstream travel services.

Contrary to the one-size-fits-all approach of regular B2C booking platforms, B2C CUG travel booking platform are designed specifically for a targeted set of customers. It offers a more personalized and tailored experience, with curated content, exclusive deals, and specialized services that cater to the unique needs and preferences of the closed user group. This targeted approach allows for a more focused and efficient travel booking process, enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Creating Loyalty Programs for the B2C Travel CUGs

When establishing loyalty programs within B2C CUGs, travel agencies can foster a sense of exclusivity and reward among their customers. These programs can incentivize continued engagement and loyalty by offering special benefits, discounts, rewards, or personalized experiences to top-buying travelers. By implementing effective loyalty programs, businesses can cultivate stronger connections with their travelers base, enhance brand loyalty, and ultimately drive long-term customer satisfaction and repeat business within the group improving the revenue streams continuously.

Insights, Targeted Marketing, and Revenue Growth

The benefits of building a Closed User Group with wbe.travel extend beyond providing superior booking experience for travelers. It also enables travel companies to gain valuable insights into the behavior and preferences of their closed user group, allowing for targeted marketing campaigns, improved customer retention, and increased revenue opportunities.

By connecting your B2C CUG to a Business Intelligence tool you can go even deeper into understanding your members even better with a focus on what they book, on what destinations particularly. This in-depth info can offer you afterwards the possibility to renegotiate rates with hoteliers or travel providers, to promote those chosen destinations even better and much more.

travel companies are realizing the critical need for personalization - wbe.travel

Building Exclusive CUG Ecosystems with wbe.travel

Overall, wbe.travel’s expertise in developing B2C Closed User Groups for travel companies empowers businesses to create their own exclusive travel ecosystem. By doing so, travel companies can offer a personalized, streamlined, and differentiated service that meets the specific needs of their members, fostering loyalty and driving business growth in a highly competitive travel industry.

wbe.travel equips travel companies with advanced features and functionalities to enhance the overall experience. These may include the possibility to add to their engine their exclusive negotiated rates with suppliers and hoteliers and seamlessly integrate with other travel-related services such as transfers, activities, own tours, and ancillary offerings to add other potential revenue streams.

We at wbe.travel understand the importance of offering a tailored and exclusive service, and our online tools empower travel companies to differentiate themselves in the market by customizing the user interface, incorporating their branding elements, and curating travel content that aligns with their group’s interests and preferences.

If you would like to find our more about Closed User Groups in Travel, drop us an email, here.

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