TripAdvisor
has launched the first fully personalized, time sensitive email newsletter for the travel industry. TripWatch was built to address the frustration of travel consumers, tired of receiving “one size fits all” deals newsletters, filled with vendor pitches and irrelevant information.
In contrast to much of the ?espam?f on the net today, this novel application allows travel consumers to customize the topic and timeframe for which they would like to receive e-mail updates. For consumers this means actually receiving through personalized emails their requested research on specific hotels, attractions and cities in a timely manner as they plan their vacations. For marketers, TripWatch leverages the power of email most effectively by making sure it is highly relevant, personalized, and time-sensitive for their target customer base.

Built to leverage the same award-winning search technology used on its website, TripWatch scours the web to find the most relevant articles, opinions and user postings on travel. Unlike other email newsletters that often spam users with volumes of irrelevant promotions and generalized information, TripWatch only sends information relevant to the consumer`s specified query. So for example, a consumer can specify to receive “new articles found on the web” about “Paris” or “The Four Seasons Paris”. To ensure relevance, TripWatch will only send emails if the articles match the consumer`s specified topic; if none are found, no email will be sent.

Additionally, the consumer can easily change his/her profile to stop receiving information on “Paris”, for instance, and see new information on “Las Vegas Hotels”. Users can also sign up for more than one city/hotel/attraction, so they can monitor for updates on the several hotels or cities they are considering for their next vacation. TripWatch uses TripAdvisor`s proprietary search technology to package the relevant links for the topic in question and forwards them weekly to the consumers at their specified email address. In this manner, a consumer planning a trip to Orlando can receive new articles about the city found on the web right up until the date of their trip. No longer do consumers need to proactively search the web for information on a travel topic when planning their upcoming vacations; now the very targeted research on their desired travel destination, hotel or attraction comes directly to them.

“Our search technology was originally built to focus on delivering relevance to the consumer,” said Steve Kaufer, CEO of TripAdvisor. “TripWatch is a natural extension of that focus. We only want to present travel-related information to people when it relates to their specific interests. With these highly customized e-mail newsletters, we are able to give consumers the most current information about specific destinations through a personalized email travel guide, a first for our industry. We are also enabling marketers to use email more effectively through highly personalized, time-sensitive messages that reach their target customers as they are planning travel purchases.”

Related stories on ITN:

(13/03/2002) TripAdvisor signs Expedia as Newest Customer

(03/12/2001) TripAdvisor Technology Matches Customers Needs With Products.

——-