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Research
The art of personalisation

Advances in AI are bringing enhanced personalisation to the online visitor experience. Andy Povey explains how you can use audience-based engagement tools to increase conversion rates and create better experiences for guests


Today, the visitor’s journey begins online, often long before they visit their destination. This makes it vital your Google searchability, website usability/UX and representation by partners is carefully implemented.

One key difference between offline and online is the ability to offer a personalised experience. In person, it’s easy to recognise someone, make them feel valued and flow to the next stage of an interaction accordingly.

Online however, this presents a challenge. A visitor to your website could be encountering your operation for the first time, they could be a returning visitor, someone who previously abandoned a cart or who already has tickets and is checking final details for their visit. This presents an obvious need for the information they see to be tailored accordingly.

Identifying buyer personas
Personalisation is a game-changer for attractions, especially given the industry is all about delivering peak experiences. This hinges around providing relevant experiences to visitors at all times, bridging the gap between unfiltered exposure to your business and their needs.

Research has shown that 76 per cent of customers are tired of generic experiences and are more engaged when content speaks directly to them, quickly meeting their needs at that given moment.

Today’s online customer is smart, well-informed, empowered and time-conscious. Statistics show that people are likely to leave a web page within 10 – 20 seconds if they don’t see what they’re looking for, leaving you very little time to capture their attention.

To help with this targeting, we need to create and understand our ‘buyer personas’. When creating these, you’re picturing your ‘best customer’ in the target segment and working to gain more insight into their habits, attitudes, behaviours and challenges – not to manipulate them, but to provide them with higher value.

Data-Driven Personalisation
It’s essential to understand how your specific users behave, what they expect, their buying habits and how you make them feel, to improve the user experience.

You can achieve this using AI and predictive analytics to recognise where a customer is on their buying journey so you can deliver a clear and targeted value proposition.

For example, if a customer has abandoned their cart, the AI will recognise it’s the same person and start from that stage of the messaging cycle, rather than beginning the process again at the start.

Destinations can use this knowledge to create profiles that group visitors into different audiences. This can include first time visitors, repeat visitors and those who pre-booked tickets and are revisiting the website to check details such as opening times or parking.

Customer Journey
However, obtaining good data is only half the story. The key is understanding it, segmenting it and knowing how to use it.

The first step is to collect, sort and analyse visitor data. From here, templates can be created for predefined audiences, based on where they are in their personal purchasing journey.

Customised calls to action and a system that adjusts to the customer’s way of buy-in – rather than expecting them to adapt to your way of selling – mean they’re more likely to make desired decisions. This creates win-win outcomes for visitors and attractions and is a proven method of optimising booking conversion rates.

To make the messaging more effective and keep repetitive manual work to a minimum, have templates styled for your brand, make them available in multiple languages.

From Digital to Physical
Once at the destination, it’s important to ensure that this level of personalisation and seamless customer experience continues, with a smooth transition from online to the physical space.

The most effective way to do this is by connecting the journey through an app that guests can access on their personal devices. This needs to have the ability to store purchased tickets and reservations in an e-ticket wallet for a seamless entrance.

Data similar to that obtained during their online journey can now be applied to the physical space, with destinations targeting guests based on GPS locations to share personalised and automated push notifications for upsells and offers, with easy purchasing and ordering within the app. Guests can use these geo location features to plan their day, find quieter areas of the attraction and locate key services.

To finish the personalisation cycle, it’s important to find out what individuals think, so that you can finish the conversation you’ve been having with them throughout their visitor experience. It’s also a great opportunity to turn someone into a repeat visitor.

Operator Benefits
In an increasingly digitised world, these tools for getting to know your online audience are essential. Personalisation across the visitor cycle gives operators the chance to connect with their guests from that very first interaction.

This allows you to enhance guest experiences by organising your marketing efforts and give them the exact information they need. By streamlining the process and better identifying customers’ pain points, needs and wants, conversion rates increase. By learning from the data and your customer personas, you can improve your products and services by offering personalised upsells, helping to curate the customer experience even further.

Andy Povey is with www.convious.com

Photo: Convious

"Research shows 76% of customers are tired of generic experiences and are more engaged when web content meets their needs" – Andy Povey

Customers are tired of generic experiences Credit: Convious
AI can be used to customise the visitor journey, driving overall satisfaction rates Credit: Pavel L Photo and Video/shutterstock
COMPANY PROFILES
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V.

Vekoma Rides has a large variety of coasters and attractions. [more...]
instantprint

We’re a Yorkshire-based online printer, founded in 2009 by Adam Carnell and James Kinsella. [more...]
Sally Corporation

Our services include: Dark ride design & build; Redevelopment of existing attractions; High-quality [more...]
Polin Waterparks

Polin was founded in Istanbul in 1976. Polin has since grown into a leading company in the waterpa [more...]
+ More profiles  
FEATURED SUPPLIER

How two water rides are creating refreshing adventures in Vietnam’s biggest theme park
Aiming to become a top entertainment destination in southern Vietnam for both domestic and international tourists, VinWonders Phú Quốc opened in 2021 as the biggest theme park in the country. [more...]
VIDEO GALLERY

Red Raion - Testimonial Richard Needham - SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment
Last July 7th, Red Raion took part in the opening event of FICO Eataly World, the Italian theme park dedicated to food - the only one worldwide! Find out more...
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CATALOGUE GALLERY
 

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DIARY

 

24-26 Oct 2023

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IMPACT Exhibition Centre, Thailand
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Palmaïa, The House of Aia, Playacar, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
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©Cybertrek 2023
Jobs    News   Products   Magazine   Subscribe
Research
The art of personalisation

Advances in AI are bringing enhanced personalisation to the online visitor experience. Andy Povey explains how you can use audience-based engagement tools to increase conversion rates and create better experiences for guests


Today, the visitor’s journey begins online, often long before they visit their destination. This makes it vital your Google searchability, website usability/UX and representation by partners is carefully implemented.

One key difference between offline and online is the ability to offer a personalised experience. In person, it’s easy to recognise someone, make them feel valued and flow to the next stage of an interaction accordingly.

Online however, this presents a challenge. A visitor to your website could be encountering your operation for the first time, they could be a returning visitor, someone who previously abandoned a cart or who already has tickets and is checking final details for their visit. This presents an obvious need for the information they see to be tailored accordingly.

Identifying buyer personas
Personalisation is a game-changer for attractions, especially given the industry is all about delivering peak experiences. This hinges around providing relevant experiences to visitors at all times, bridging the gap between unfiltered exposure to your business and their needs.

Research has shown that 76 per cent of customers are tired of generic experiences and are more engaged when content speaks directly to them, quickly meeting their needs at that given moment.

Today’s online customer is smart, well-informed, empowered and time-conscious. Statistics show that people are likely to leave a web page within 10 – 20 seconds if they don’t see what they’re looking for, leaving you very little time to capture their attention.

To help with this targeting, we need to create and understand our ‘buyer personas’. When creating these, you’re picturing your ‘best customer’ in the target segment and working to gain more insight into their habits, attitudes, behaviours and challenges – not to manipulate them, but to provide them with higher value.

Data-Driven Personalisation
It’s essential to understand how your specific users behave, what they expect, their buying habits and how you make them feel, to improve the user experience.

You can achieve this using AI and predictive analytics to recognise where a customer is on their buying journey so you can deliver a clear and targeted value proposition.

For example, if a customer has abandoned their cart, the AI will recognise it’s the same person and start from that stage of the messaging cycle, rather than beginning the process again at the start.

Destinations can use this knowledge to create profiles that group visitors into different audiences. This can include first time visitors, repeat visitors and those who pre-booked tickets and are revisiting the website to check details such as opening times or parking.

Customer Journey
However, obtaining good data is only half the story. The key is understanding it, segmenting it and knowing how to use it.

The first step is to collect, sort and analyse visitor data. From here, templates can be created for predefined audiences, based on where they are in their personal purchasing journey.

Customised calls to action and a system that adjusts to the customer’s way of buy-in – rather than expecting them to adapt to your way of selling – mean they’re more likely to make desired decisions. This creates win-win outcomes for visitors and attractions and is a proven method of optimising booking conversion rates.

To make the messaging more effective and keep repetitive manual work to a minimum, have templates styled for your brand, make them available in multiple languages.

From Digital to Physical
Once at the destination, it’s important to ensure that this level of personalisation and seamless customer experience continues, with a smooth transition from online to the physical space.

The most effective way to do this is by connecting the journey through an app that guests can access on their personal devices. This needs to have the ability to store purchased tickets and reservations in an e-ticket wallet for a seamless entrance.

Data similar to that obtained during their online journey can now be applied to the physical space, with destinations targeting guests based on GPS locations to share personalised and automated push notifications for upsells and offers, with easy purchasing and ordering within the app. Guests can use these geo location features to plan their day, find quieter areas of the attraction and locate key services.

To finish the personalisation cycle, it’s important to find out what individuals think, so that you can finish the conversation you’ve been having with them throughout their visitor experience. It’s also a great opportunity to turn someone into a repeat visitor.

Operator Benefits
In an increasingly digitised world, these tools for getting to know your online audience are essential. Personalisation across the visitor cycle gives operators the chance to connect with their guests from that very first interaction.

This allows you to enhance guest experiences by organising your marketing efforts and give them the exact information they need. By streamlining the process and better identifying customers’ pain points, needs and wants, conversion rates increase. By learning from the data and your customer personas, you can improve your products and services by offering personalised upsells, helping to curate the customer experience even further.

Andy Povey is with www.convious.com

Photo: Convious

"Research shows 76% of customers are tired of generic experiences and are more engaged when web content meets their needs" – Andy Povey

Customers are tired of generic experiences Credit: Convious
AI can be used to customise the visitor journey, driving overall satisfaction rates Credit: Pavel L Photo and Video/shutterstock
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Ecorecreo reveals more details about Aquarium de Montréal
A 'world-class' aquarium, offering visitors 'spectacular habitats' and unique, immersive exhibits will open in Canada in 2024.
Countdown begins for the opening of the world's largest multi-species aquarium in Abu Dhabi
Set to launch on 23 May, SeaWorld Abu Dhabi will feature eight different realms offering immersive experiences – as well as dynamic habitats housing different species together, as they are in their natural habitat.
Bjarke Ingels among finalists chosen in design competition for National Museum of the United States Navy
Five prominent architectural practices have revealed their designs for the planned new National Museum of the United States Navy.
+ More news   
 
COMPANY PROFILES
Vekoma Rides Manufacturing B.V.

Vekoma Rides has a large variety of coasters and attractions. [more...]
instantprint

We’re a Yorkshire-based online printer, founded in 2009 by Adam Carnell and James Kinsella. [more...]
Sally Corporation

Our services include: Dark ride design & build; Redevelopment of existing attractions; High-quality [more...]
Polin Waterparks

Polin was founded in Istanbul in 1976. Polin has since grown into a leading company in the waterpa [more...]
+ More profiles  
FEATURED SUPPLIER

How two water rides are creating refreshing adventures in Vietnam’s biggest theme park
Aiming to become a top entertainment destination in southern Vietnam for both domestic and international tourists, VinWonders Phú Quốc opened in 2021 as the biggest theme park in the country. [more...]
VIDEO GALLERY

Red Raion - Testimonial Richard Needham - SimEx-Iwerks Entertainment
Last July 7th, Red Raion took part in the opening event of FICO Eataly World, the Italian theme park dedicated to food - the only one worldwide! Find out more...
More videos:
+ More videos  

CATALOGUE GALLERY
+ More catalogues  
DIRECTORY
+ More directory  
DIARY

 

24-26 Oct 2023

ASEAN Pool & Spa Expo

IMPACT Exhibition Centre, Thailand
24-27 Oct 2023

Synergy - The Retreat Show

Palmaïa, The House of Aia, Playacar, Playa del Carmen, Mexico
+ More diary  
 


ADVERTISE . CONTACT US

Leisure Media
Tel: +44 (0)1462 431385

©Cybertrek 2023

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