The Rise of the Digital Flyer
Our Digital Pulse survey unveils that today’s frequent flyers have a strong desire for a seamless digital experience at the airport. The features rated most highly by our Members include the new Digital Membership Card (90%) and the new mobile app (86%). The findings point towards a new breed of ‘digital flyer’ who is looking for an intuitive and personalised journey at the airport, while having the stress of travel kept to a minimum.
The results of our recent Digital Pulse survey align with those from an earlier set of research we carried out, which explored the attitudes of the world’s most affluent consumers. Once again, the emergence of a new digital breed of flyer was evident, with 81% of European travelers considering flight status alerts as being important or vital when traveling by air and 62% agreeing that digital boarding passes and e-tickets make the airport experience easier.
“There’s an increasing demand for a seamless digital experience” said Stephen Simpson, Global Marketing Director for Priority Pass, part of Collinson Group. “Through the effective use of technology, airports have succeeded in enabling passengers to help take complete control of their journey, something that organisations in other sectors can only dream about. From the moment a passenger enters the terminal doors, to the moment their feet touch foreign soil, digital technologies are playing an increasingly important role.”
A Digital Customer is a More Engaged Customer
Our research also demonstrates the vital role digital can play in turning customers into brand advocates. As part of our survey, we measured the Net Promoter Score of all respondents, using it as an index to assess the willingness of our Members to recommend our products and services to others. We found 59% of our Members to be brand promoters, with an average Net Promoter Score (NPS) of +45. We also found a direct correlation between the NPS score of Members and the number of communications channels they are subscribed to. Those subscribed only to e-mail had an NPS score of 49; this figure increased to an NPS score of 66 for those who subscribed to both e-mail and Facebook.
“It is clear that our happiest Members are also those who are most engaged with the brand across all digital communications channels. This serves to reiterate our own commitment to enhancing the technology, processes and tools used to deliver a superior travel experience for all of our customers. As part of our brand refresh last November, we unveiled our broadest product improvements to date, with a brand new website and smartphone apps, along with a product roadmap outlining continual innovation and product improvement, to ensure we exceed the expectations of tomorrow’s traveler.”