Long live the app

Ross Tuffee, managing director of DOGFI.SH Mobile, investigates the future of the app in the world of travel.

"Over the past five years, mobile has exploded onto the scene with hundreds of different handsets and millions of mobile apps. There are now more mobile phones than people in the world and travellers are more connected than ever.

Mobile has completely transformed the travel sector and the expectations of travellers. With advanced smartphones now mainstream and the increased functionality they offer, mobile is the most personal and flexible way to engage with customers allowing the travel industry to tailor each stage of the customer journey.

But what is the best way to make the most of mobile? A friendly rivalry between ‘native apps’ and ‘mobile web’ has been going on since the birth of the iPhone over 7 years ago. The debate has traditionally been driven by arguments such as ‘the user interface is not as good on mobile web’ or ‘apps are too expensive to build, let’s go with mobile web’.

Mobile web has often ‘won’ the cost argument (particularly where budgets are limited) but with the introduction of new approaches and technologies such as cross platform development, the cost of creating an app is falling rapidly.

And there is no arguing with consumer demand. Mobile users want native app experiences – in the USA 60% of online time is ‘mobile’ (up from 50% in 2013) and of this time 85% is spent inside apps (Comscore Feb 2015).

The increasing popularity of travel apps shows that travellers see the clear advantages that mobile technology has to offer in enhancing their travel experience, from one click booking to real-time travel information. Savvy travel companies now realise that they must adapt their business model to keep up with the rapidly changing mobile landscape. And it needs to be done quickly! Mobile consumers do not hang around. They will look for the latest capability and migrate to it quickly.

The biggest challenge for travel enterprises lies in meeting the increasing data demands of consumers. Today’s traveller has a voracious appetite for personalised data for their trip. They are no longer satisfied with browsing for general travel tips about their resort; they want a recommended itinerary/route tailored to their personal preferences delivered direct to their handset. In many cases consumers are looking for information that does not already exist within a company’s website or brochures, which must be quickly researched, captured and packaged for delivery within a mobile device. This can be costly and time consuming delaying an app’s delivery to market.

But when we talk about mobile, we shouldn’t just focus on the benefits for the consumer but also for those employed in the travel industry and their business partners. Enterprise Mobility (the provision of mobile solutions across an enterprise) is a rapidly growing area and businesses are using the power of mobile to transform and support the delivery of their services. Take, for example, a mobile workforce such as holiday reps and tour guides. Mobile can be used to send alerts or push notifications directly to their mobile device or tablet telling them that a new booking has been made and their numbers have changed. So the shift towards mobile is not just about the consumer, it can be used across the enterprise space to provide employees and partners with the tools and up to date information they need to do their job wherever they may be in the world, in a secure and efficient way.

So is the app dead? No! Definitely not! In fact mobile solutions and, in particular, apps, are really only just beginning to find their place in the travel enterprise arena. We will continue to see mobile push the boundaries of ‘art of the possible’ in the supply of travel services to consumers, enterprise employees and partners in 2015 and beyond.

DOGFI.SH will be at Travel Technology Europe which takes place on February 25-26 2015 at the Olympia Exhibition Centre in London. To find out more, please visit: http://www.traveltechnologyeurope.com