(Post by Adina M)
The travel industry has changed dramatically in recent years. With the rise of online booking and review sites, travelers have more options and buying power than ever before. In this competitive landscape, travel brands need innovative marketing strategies to capture customer attention. One approach that has become increasingly popular is embracing tentpole shopping moments throughout the year.
What Are Tentpole Shopping Moments?
Tentpole shopping moments refer to big seasonal events or occasions that drive increased consumer spending. These moments tend to spike search and shopping activity as people look for related products and services.
Major examples include Cyber Monday, Amazon Prime Day, Black Friday, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and the December holidays. During these high-traffic periods, brands have a prime opportunity to connect with motivated shoppers ready to make purchases.
Travel companies that align their messaging and promotions around tentpole moments can capture extra bookings and sales. Rather than waiting for customers to come to them, smart brands get proactive about capturing interest when it is highest.
Key Strategies For Embracing Tentpole Moments
To make the most of seasonal spending surges, travel organizations should focus on promotions, partnerships, content, and conversion optimization. Here are some of the top techniques brands use:
Timed Promotions and Deals
Offering limited-time discounts, sales, and contests around tentpole events generates excitement and urgency. Flash sales for 24-48 hours get customers to take action and book before they miss out.
Promotions can include discounted airfare, resort stays, cruises, tour packages, and more. The key is crafting offers explicitly tied to major seasonal events shoppers care about. Offer promo codes and coupons to incentivize bookings. For example, a Valentine’s Day deal for a couples’ getaway or a Cyber Monday discount on flights.
Strategic Partnerships
Partnering with other brands and influencers allows for cross-promotion around seasonal events. Co-marketing campaigns, giveaways, sponsored content, and affiliate partnerships expand a brand’s reach.
Hotels may team up with airlines, resorts with activity providers, and OTAs with loyalty programs. Leveraging influencers on social media also gets deals in front of relevant follower bases. The right partnerships multiply exposure.
Custom Content and Emails
Creating content and email campaigns tailored to tentpole moments keeps brands top of mind. This content should speak directly to customer needs around specific events.
For example, email subscribers holiday gift guides with travel products or DIY trip planning tips. Or publish blog posts like “Best Destinations for a Thanksgiving Getaway”. Custom content positions brands as a helpful resource.
Conversion Rate Optimization
When traffic spikes around tentpole events, brands need to ensure their site, booking process, and payments are fully optimized for conversions. This means fast load times, clear calls-to-action, minimal form fields, and a seamless mobile experience.
Running speed and A/B tests before big sales events remove any friction in the customer journey. With limited-time promotions, brands can’t afford lost bookings from site issues. Optimization helps capitalize on the traffic surge.
Examples of Travel Brands Embracing Tentpole Moments
Many innovative travel companies are already embracing tentpole trends to drive more sales in peak shopping periods. Here are a few real-world examples:
Skyscanner – Black Friday Flight Deals
The popular flight metasearch engine Skyscanner runs a massive Black Friday sale every year. In 2021, they offered up to 40% off select flights booked during the sale window. By tying into the Black Friday frenzy, Skyscanner captures bookings from motivated deal-seekers.
Intrepid Travel – Cyber Week Campaign
Adventure tour provider IntrepidTravel ran a Cyber Week campaign with a different deal each day aligned to Cyber Monday through Cyber Friday. Deals included discounts on select trips and $500 off orders over $5000. Email and social media drove awareness of the daily offers.
Hopper – Holiday Travel Insights
Travel app Hopper published extensive data around optimal holiday booking dates and times. By positioning its brand as an expert data source for holiday travel, Hopper gained publicity and relevance during this key booking window.
TourRadar – Valentine’s Multi-Brand Giveaway
Tour booking platform TourRadar offered a Valentine’s Day giveaway for a luxury trip for two in partnership with leading tour operators. The combined promotion gained exposure across all brand partners.
Expedia – Mother’s Day Travel Guide
To tap into Mother’s Day online shopping, travel agency Expedia published a comprehensive Mother’s Day gift guide with vacation packages, cruise deals, and suggested destinations to appeal to travelers shopping for moms.
Key Takeaways for Travel Brands
With travel demand rebounding strongly, brands need to make the most of seasonal shopping spikes throughout the year. Aligning promotions, content, and partnerships to tentpole moments like Cyber Week, Valentine’s Day, and Black Friday helps capture motivated shoppers.
Travel companies that embrace tentpole trends and optimize accordingly see higher bookings and ROI from these seasonal opportunities. As competition heats up, tapping into peak demand moments delivers an important marketing edge.
Brands need an omnichannel strategy spanning email, social, PPC, affiliates, and partners. Last-minute deals create urgency while inspirational holiday-specific content plays into travel dreams. Optimizing the booking experience prepares for the website traffic influx.
The new era of rising travel demand rewards strategic preparation more than ever. Travel brands that successfully embrace tentpole shopping moments will continue gaining market share and reaching growth goals.
Conclusion
Tentpole shopping moments throughout the year represent invaluable opportunities for travel brands to connect with interested travelers ready to make purchases.
By tailoring promotions, content, and partnerships to seasonal events, companies can unlock spikes in conversions and sales. Preparation and optimization are key to capitalizing on these moments. Brands that embrace tentpole trends will tap into peak booking and revenue potential during significant seasonal opportunities.
