{"id":39750,"date":"2025-11-18T11:32:59","date_gmt":"2025-11-18T16:32:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/airportscouncil.org\/?p=39750"},"modified":"2025-11-18T13:29:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-18T18:29:37","slug":"becoming-an-expert-guide-for-the-customer-journey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/airportscouncil.org\/2025\/11\/18\/becoming-an-expert-guide-for-the-customer-journey\/","title":{"rendered":"Becoming an Expert Guide for the Customer Journey"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]By Bryan Houck, ECP Executive Director, Extra Credit Projects\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s competitive travel landscape, airports must think outside the terminal and embrace the role of experience orchestrators<\/em>. Today\u2019s customers increasingly expect seamless, digitally assisted journeys that begin long before they step into the security line. Successful airports employ data-driven marketing strategies designed to shepherd travelers from the initial spark of inspiration through research, planning, booking, and post-purchase engagement. By understanding this full consumer buying cycle, airports can influence decisions earlier, capture greater market share, increase on-premises purchases, and strengthen long-term brand loyalty.<\/p>\n

Inspiring Travel<\/strong><\/p>\n

The first stage of any journey is emotional, not transactional. Travelers are scrolling, dreaming, and exploring before making concrete plans. Airports rarely optimize for this phase, but they are missing out on a strategic opportunity. By partnering with conventions, Visitors Bureaus and airlines, as well as creating compelling social content about new routes or seasonal destinations, airports can position themselves as the perfect launchpad for a dream vacation. Messaging and storytelling should tap into emotions to encourage daydreaming and curiosity. Offering ideas for nonstop destinations can help guide the traveler from vague interest to concrete consideration. Seasonality is also an important communication point, reminding travelers of upcoming holidays and how timing matters when planning a trip. The ultimate goal is to get travelers to envision themselves at their desired destination to drive them from the inspiration phase to the planning phase.<\/p>\n

Preparing for Takeoff<\/strong><\/p>\n

Once travelers shift from dreaming to evaluating options, they crave clarity and confidence. This is where airports can transform from passive infrastructure to active enablers. Transparent messaging delivered at the right time will help travelers make informed decisions on how to get there, when to go, and how to get the best convenience and value. Encourage them to make timely bookings without coming off as too pushy or promotional, while acknowledging that they have shifted from inspiration to action. When executed properly, this will make them feel more confident in their decision to use your airport over nearby competitors. The latter is especially true when you communicate the convenience of flying closer to home and avoiding layovers in larger hubs. This is when planning turns into booking.<\/p>\n

Reducing Stress and Driving Onsite Purchases<\/strong><\/p>\n

The booking of a trip is not the end of the conversation\u2013in many ways it\u2019s just the beginning. Reduce anxiety and stress by touting onsite amenities such as parking, security wait times, concessions, accessibility options, and terminal layout. Some ideas for communication points in the post-purchase phase include encouraging passengers to:<\/p>\n