Trend #1: Integration increasingly important
Example: Gowalla
Integration and compatibility is the most important trend I see as we move into 2011. In many ways, it’s what ties together the rest of the items in this story.
Gowalla is a great example of this. For a long time, I didn’t really get involved in the whole social “check-in” scene. Too many networks, and my friends were scattered across each. But version 3.0 of their application introduced check-in capability with arch-rival Foursquare, and I started using it much more often.
Integration is what pushes many people to try a new technology. It’s hard to convince someone to invest a lot of time to switch and try yet another network, but if you can integrate with existing platforms, it’s easier to gain adoption.
Trend #2: Photos as lifestreaming
Example: Instagram
Possibly my favorite app of 2010, Instagram exploded in popularity because it allows users to share vintage-looking photos easily with their friends. The service captured over 100,000 users in less than a week, and passed one million registered users a few days ago (12/21/2010).
I know a number of people who have very negative opinions of Instagram, but all great products are usually polarizing. I think the community aspect is what made this app succeed so quickly. I paid for a very similar app – Hipstamatic – but ended up discarding it after the first day. The cross-publishing capabilities were not powerful enough.
Personally, I find Instagram most useful when integrated with another service – like Tumblr – as part of a richer lifestream.
Trend #3: The evolution of blogging
Example: Tumblr
Tumblr saw rapid growth in 2010 because it gives the time-starved blogger an opportunity to share a little more than what fits into a 140-character tweet. An elegant mobile application lets their users quickly and conveniently update on the go.
This focus on rapid publishing, combined with a wide selection of free design themes, make it an attractive option for many.
Examples: InsideBuenosAires.com and WeLoveFierro.com
Trend #4: The Social Graph on your website
Example: Facebook & TripAdvisor
Again, integration is the key. I’m seeing more websites experimenting with bringing your social graph – your network of contacts – onto the websites that you use. Doing this helps provide a more personalized experience and should lead to you discovering more relevant information.
TripAdvisor has been gradually increasing its integration with Facebook over the past year. This instantly personalizes the site for each visitor – displaying trusted reviews from friends, sharing most popular destinations among friends, and showing an interactive social map.
Trend #5: Geo-location for city exploration
Social networks such as Foursquare and Gowalla have offered the opportunity to “check in” to physical spaces for a while now.
This year, we’ve seen these tools move from just a way to tell friends where you are to becoming a way for people to explore a city. Gowalla introduced a “trips” feature in January 2010, allowing any user to create a list of places for people to visit. “Foursquare 2.0″ announced September 2010 enabled users to create to-do lists.
Businesses are starting to use this functionality to create branded trips, which leads to the next trend….
Trend #6: Check-ins as part of a larger business strategy
Example: Topguest
As mentioned above, geolocation services allowing users to check in to local business have been around for a few years with tools like Foursquare and Gowalla. Facebook joined the game in August with Facebook Places. What we’re seeing now is business owners put a little more thought into how to use this to drive revenue and loyalty.
Topguest is now offering one opportunity for this - providing real hotel loyalty points for people checking in via Foursquare and Facebook places. I predict we’ll see this continue to evolve as owners start taking this more seriously.
Trend #7: Bridging the online/offline gap with mobile
More and more business owners are using QR codes and other mobile technologies to bridge the online/offline gap.
Google Places began giving out QR code stickers last December – though many establishments didn’t begin posting these until earlier this year. According to Google, the benefits include allowing shoppers to:
- Read reviews to see what other users think about the business
- Find an offer that the business has posted to their Place Page
- Star the business to remember to check it out later, or to remember to visit again
- Leave a review right after they leave the business.
But this is not limited to Google places. QR codes can be used to send traffic to any location, as I’ve covered before with Tailor Made Hotels promoting their Facebook page to people walking by:
Trend #8: Closed social networks
Example: Path
Perhaps in reaction to more open platforms like Facebook and the (perceived or real) privacy problems that go along with that, tools like Path enable small, closed networks you can share your life with.
I like Mike Isaac’s explanation of the service for Forbes.
“Because your personal network is limited to your 50 closest friends and family, you can always trust that you can post any moment, no matter how personal. Path is a place where you can be yourself.”
Trend #9: Group discount buying and Private sales sites
Example: Groupon & Jetsetter
When I opened my inbox earlier this month to find an ad for The Economist – one of the most traditional, conservative publications I respect, I knew Groupon had gone mainstream.
2010 was a great year for Groupon. Since its launch, Groupon has grown to an estimated $350 million in estimated revenue for this year. On November 30, 2010 Google offered a reported $5.3 billion to acquire Groupon, but was rejected. After this, Groupon was identified for an initial public offering in 2013.
The site is most popular with young, educated, female consumers. (Nice infographics here) In this USA Today interview with Barb De Lollis, Andrew Mason says
“More and more, we hear of people using it for planning vacations. If I live in D.C., I will check out the Chicago daily deal for a few weeks in advance of my trip. I might see hotels, restaurants or a Segway tour. Then you can plan a lot of your vacation around things to do with your Groupon. I look at Groupon as a really interesting city guide that points out one really cool thing to do in a city every day,” he said. The discount serves as a nudge to get people to try it.”
But the success of Groupon doesn’t necessarily mean you should use it at your hotel. I’ve heard first-hand reports of Groupon buyers only coming for the discount prices and showing very little loyalty after the initial stay.
Private sales sites like Jetsetter offer a more exclusive twist on the limited-time-sale model.
I’ve heard passionate arguments on both sides for both of these sales models. Some complain of brand damage, others enjoy the market exposure it brings. Regardless of your opinion, group buying and private sales are two trends that you cannot ignore.
….
Additional trend #1: Sophisticated review management
Example: ReviewPro
Customer review analysis software has existed for years – ever since online reviews started gaining popularity – but now I’m seeing a lot more sophistication in this area.
Rather than being limited to one department or one person, savvy organizations are using info from the social web throughout their organization:
- Identifying opportunities for improvement in operations
- Knowing which parts of the hotel experience is most appreciated by guests with semantic analysis (useful for marketing and management)
- Cross-comparing pricing data with reputation to maximize rates (helpful for revenue management)
Using a tool like ReviewPro helps hotels manage all this from one web-based platform. And I think as an industry we’re just beginning to understand the power of the social web for increasing profitability. I expect to see a lot more innovation in this area in the coming year.
(Disclaimer: I’m currently doing some industry research and market analysis work for ReviewPro)
Additional trend #2: Social CRM
Social CRM continues to evolve, but I saw it brought up in more and more management discussions over the past year. Organizations are wanting to supplement their traditional CRM systems with the vast amount of customer information available on the social web.
Jacob Morgan of Chess Media Group put together a nice intro to social CRM here, and Adam Metz is another thought leader on this topic that I recommend following.
And of course, I’ll be speaking about social CRM at EyeForTravel’s Customer Centric Strategies in Travel conference.
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