Digital purchasing journey: understanding the challenges in tourism
The success of the digital tourism purchase journey depends on numerous factors, most of which can be controlled by industry professionals. First, maintaining a strong and optimized online presence is essential to attract potential customers. This involves developing effective digital marketing strategies (SEO, advertising, etc.) and online reputation management (reviews and comments). Furthermore, between functionality and security, payment management and customer data protection represent a major challenge, in a sector where efficiency and trust are paramount to closing a sale.
In this context, tourism providers can choose to integrate specialized platforms and marketplaces (Momondo, Veepee, Voyage Privé, Trivago, Orbite, etc.) to offer a transparent, compelling, and secure user experience, while benefiting from their technological, marketing, and financial advantages.
Payment, the milestone of customer relationships
The customer relationship related to tourism is punctuated by payments, before, during, and after the stay:
- Deposits taken upon booking
- Security deposit for rentals
- Split payments, sometimes for multiple participants
- Additional purchases (room service, guided tours, luggage storage, tips, etc.)
These transactions must be streamlined with a tourism and travel payment solution adapted to each situation: online booking form with a secure payment link, payment options and facilities to spread certain expenses over time or among several travelers, bank imprint in the event of a deposit being withheld, management of partial or full refunds, etc. A tourism and leisure payment strategy is therefore central to a company’s strategy to ensure business continuity.
Leveraging tourism and leisure payments
As booking and travel practices become more digital, tourism stakeholders are adapting and integrating a payment solution to address various challenges:
Designing a phygital payment experience
The sector is inherently highly omnichannel. Today, a tourist stay or leisure activity is booked online or by phone, paid for remotely, and then the experience is lived on-site. Thus, industry stakeholders must not disrupt the end consumer’s purchasing experience. After making an online purchase, consumers must be recognized once they arrive in-store, at the hotel, or at the museum, in order to better understand their purchasing desires and better guide them in discovering the destination.
The digitalization of tourism and leisure payments allows professionals to adapt their services according to their specific offerings and requirements (specific needs, atypical clientele, etc.) and requires the use of comprehensive and technologically robust solutions (credit card imprints, deposits, security deposits, or deferred balance debits). Furthermore, recent events have also highlighted the importance of having flexible tools to counter unforeseen circumstances, such as cancellations and therefore mass refunds in the event of a health or political crisis, or a major incident affecting tourism.
Secure all financial transactions
Through authorized payment institutions specializing in tourism issues, industry professionals are able to offer secure and reliable payment methods while protecting their customers’ sensitive data (card information, limiting the risk of fraud, etc.). The cutting-edge technologies used (tokenization systems, strong authentication, etc.), robust security protocols, and various technological certifications (PCI-DSS, etc.) ensure the proper execution of this rather sensitive step.
Using payment data to build loyalty
Today, payment is no longer simply the end point of the purchasing process, but a useful communication channel for building a relationship of trust between the tourism industry and the traveler. Data from the entire tourism and leisure payment flow can be centralized in a single interface (no longer distinguishing between digital and physical customers) and thus obtain information to enrich the marketing strategy (loyalty initiatives, personalized recommendations, etc.). From an operational perspective, implementing reminders, notifications, and alerts also contributes to customer knowledge and their journey, in order to facilitate and anticipate future interactions. Thus, beyond the relationship and the purchasing experience, payment also contributes to customer loyalty.
¹ Passport Photo Online (2022)
² FEVAD, Les chiffres-clés du e-commerce 2023
