Simpliflying: Social media is key to future customer loyalty programs in the travel industry

You may think I’m exaggerating that social media is more than just a one-way marketing channel for travel brands, but the survey data reveals this.

Consider the following research data:

Globally, more airlines have Twitter accounts than frequent flyer programs (191 vs. 179).

Nearly 90% of frequent flyers use Facebook, and 65% have joined the social networking page of their favorite airline.

72% of frequent travelers want to join a social loyalty program.

About 65% of frequent flyers hope to win loyalty points by participating in "check-ins" or actively participating in the airline's Facebook page activities.

Four in five frequent flyers believe that recommending an airline to a friend or leaving a positive review will earn them points.

So-called “social loyalty” programs are still in their infancy, but it’s clear that travelers are willing to interact with their favorite brands through social media or accumulate and manage points in different ways.

The latest version of Facebook will revolutionize not only how its users interact with each other, but also how they interact with travel businesses and brands. Perhaps future loyalty programs will fully integrate social media tools as they become part of consumers’ daily lives.

The following graphic from research by Simpliflying and Cranfield University illustrates this point: