WestJet Vacations get personal

June 8, 2009 by Strategy Staff

WestJet Vacations is customizing its travellers’ experience before they even step foot on a plane. When people book trips with the company, they’ll receive an email confirmation with a personalized URL (PURL) at My.westjetvacations.com, containing tailored information on flights, transfers, hotels, tours, destinations and attractions and discount coupons.

Users can upload photos, share their vacation details on social networks and email their PURL to friends and family. And they’ll also receive a personalized booklet with all the info in the mail. The content is not only based on a person’s trip, but also on their demographic and psychographic info; for example, the images in a college student’s booklet would be different from those for a retired baby boomer.

WestJet Vacations used Vancouver-based Contac’s eConcierge technology platform to give its customers this individualized bonus. The service is already available to Las Vegas guests, with new destinations being added every few weeks throughout the summer.

The move is designed to help WestJet Vacations diversify its revenues through upsell partnerships, build relationships with guests and increase referrals and repeats. The program also acts as a customer relationship management tool that tracks online activity and compiles data for future marketing campaigns. The platform supports the option to sell online ads, capitalizing on impulse purchases such as trip add-ons.