Just by quickly observing Expedia’s homepage and various banners you can tell that they target a wide variety of customers. Our group narrowed the customers down to three segments: Business, Vacation, and Hot Spots.
First, the business segment targets any and all businesses ranging from small to large. By offering last minute deals and rewards for companies/traveling employees, Expedia is incentivizing customers to become Expedia+ members and accumulate points which then lead to a multitude of other goodies. This segment is large considering the fact that entire companies can sign up and book all their travel needs directly through the website. Customers in this segment likely value their time and money. Both of which are addressed in the business travel rewards. It allows businesses to reduce costs of paying employees to fly, sleep and eat as well as providing quick flight times to accommodate busy schedules. Quicker flight times then lead to more time that can be spent toward work or meetings as well as allowing extra time for potential unexpected events like traffic or medical purposes. Targeted emails and changing banners allow customers in the business world to gain easy access to the hottest deals during any specific time. There is also an app that helps make travel even quicker, allowing itineraries and boarding passes to be scanned straight from your phone. Expedia itself is also advertised through partnerships they develop with various companies.
Second, the vacation segment. This is huge for Expedia because most people travel with their families on vacation. In this segment, they focus more on leisure and luxury. By offering customers cheap bundle flight deals with minimal layovers, Expedia is helping to ease the travel process so families can jump start their vacation as quickly as possible. Hotel reservations are also offered on the site, lending a helping hand to the stressed out mother’s planning the vacation. Rather than having to go to a separate site to plan every aspect of a trip, Expedia understands how helpful it is to have it all in one place, ready to book. Many of the hotels list their accommodations, including air conditioning, HBO, room service, pool and spa targeting a range of vacationers. Expedia emails customers and tracks consumers on vacation websites such as “The Palms La Vegas,” and attracts people already looking for deals onto their website. They even offer a “vacation rental” tab on their website where you can locate where you’re going and the cheapest way to afford all the activities you want.
The last segment is Hot Spots. This includes sporting events, elections, special events like the Olympics and much more. They provide customers with the option to receive all inclusive passes on hotels, transportation and flights and get them as close to the action as they possibly can. For example, Expedia has partnered with the Olympics to give out huge bundles and deals to travelers heading to the games. Another tab on their site titled, “Unreal Deals” promises savings “equal to 100% of the cost of your hotel when you book a flight and hotel together.” Not only is this giving the buyer the impression that their trip is near free, it also is nudging them to book a hotel as well. And by using banners that use phrases like “You’re Invited,” they are pulling on the notion that people hate to miss out.
Overall, by just observing the website, Expedia seems to do a good job and understanding their different customers and targeting their needs to a T.
