Here is a short but sweet speech from Google’s head of travel, Ali Yilmaz:

http://events.eyefortravel.com/travel-distribution-summit-asia/presentation-download2.shtml

The core concept he puts forward is that data is only useful once we transform it into information – ie. we need to capture data in a way that will provide us with insights on user behaviours, build a strategy around it, and then action something.

He uses an example from Swissotel, highlight how even basic analysis has led to:

–          Increased basket value by 28%

–          Increased online revenue by 68%

–          Reduced costs by 22%

… And all of this just by making a small tweak to their Adwords campaign to serve a different message to two different customer segments.