Wi-Fi is on the rise worldwide. On the street and at 10,000 feet. From Starbucks and Plus supermarket chains to international airports and trendy eateries in the Balinese village of Ubud. In the aviation sector, the Wi-Fi revolution is only really taking off. Via WiFi you can offer fast moving communities (temporary, (literally) fast moving communities) new products and services on the go.
This article first outlines current WiFi developments and then offers some ideas on how to integrate WiFi into the business model of the transport and travel industry.
Society’s Wification
The US Federal Communications Commission recently updated its Wi-Fi guidelines. This makes it safe and easy for both large and small airlines to offer in-flight Wi-Fi to customers. This could mean a Wi-Fi breakthrough in the global aviation industry.
Wi-Fi for sale on the street for 2 dollars per hour from homeless ‘service providers’ in America
KPN has signed a deal with the Spanish cable giant Fon to offer customers more hotspots. KPN, like UPC and Ziggo, wants to open up customers’ Wi-Fi signals to other users. This means a significant expansion of the number of Wi-Fi points in the Netherlands.
Zeeland is the first province to make Wi-Fi (partly) available for free throughout the province. City marketing and Wi-Fi are increasingly going hand in hand. Nijmegen, Eindhoven and Enschede have free internet in the center. Zwolle shopkeepers have submitted the same wish to the municipality. Public transport is making progress with WiFi. In Rotterdam, the buses of transport company RET are now equipped with free internet. Connexxion offers Wi-Fi in 13 buses in Friesland. In Amsterdam, GVB is experimenting with internet in the tram .
Looking for a return timetable or nearby tourist attractions? Wifi in Amsterdam tram makes it possible for all visitors from all over the world.
Abroad also offers many Wi-Fi facilities. From the London subway to American homeless people who let themselves be rented out as a WiFi spot. In short, the wification of society is unstoppable. This could be a breakthrough for the travel industry in facilitating fast moving communities with social networks. On the ground and in the air.
Fast moving communities
Fast moving communities are temporary groups of people who move from location A to B. An airline, a tour operator, the railways, buses, trams and metros see a caravan of travelers passing by non-stop. Their tour groups disintegrate on their own after the destination is reached. The common goal then disappears. Until now, such a group of people on the road has often been a kind of black box for the travel sector: they know that people are getting in and out. The online possibilities for online communication and engagement on the road are often still limited by the technically inadequate availability of Wi-Fi and 3G. And beyond national borders, the risk of a peppered data download bill lurks beyond Wi-Fi range.
500 million checkins worldwide on Foursquare every three months
A significant number of travelers already check in through Foursquare at the beginning or end of their journey. 500 million times every 3 months to be exact. But little happens between point A and B. People are also busy sharing where they are on Facebook . However, in 2012, the business community does not seem to have found the right way to deploy location-based services to mobilize and activate their offline customers online.
Wification: inspiration for more service and convenience during travel
Just imagine….: free WiFi on board every imaginable means of transport. Air, train and bus travelers form an open or closed community from the moment the journey begins. Participation is always voluntary. On board the plane, the purser takes on the role of community manager. For trains and buses, a remote community manager is linked to the passenger community for short journeys. On long train routes, the conductor is the community manager. After all, he is already offline.
The fast-moving community members meet each other in an accessible way. For a chat or for a game. Business travelers who know that they will ‘soon’ have to wait in a VIP lounge at an airport or at a train station can prepare themselves on the way. The waiting area they go to is the offline extension of the fast moving community. They can sign up and ‘look around’.
Connect with peers in your area via CanWeNetwork.com
During the journey, travel information or inspiration tips about the final destination or the journey itself are exchanged in the fast moving community. In fast moving communities you can offer and/or have useful tools/apps used. For example, a business mobile app for business networking that allows you to spontaneously identify and meet “kind” is via Canwenetwork.com .
Other service options with Wi-Fi: From a huge video and library of inflight or intrain services, you can watch your own movie of your choice or read an e-book. Both at a special rate in combination with your ticket, of course. WebTV between Amsterdam and Maastricht on the track for those who don’t want to miss #DWDD or #GTST. The intellectual traveler will enjoy short lectures specially selected by the community manager on every conceivable academic subject. With your destination in sight, you can already book a taxi from the train.
Order a cappuccino via the online kiosk in the community? This will be delivered to your seat within 10 minutes. No time to cook? Discount on a three-course menu in Maastricht when you place your order from the train. Do you have time to cook, but no time to buy groceries? The balconies in the train and the placemats in the airplane seat show you complete virtual supermarkets . Scan the QR code with your mobile and the groceries will be delivered to your home as soon as you arrive. With kind regards, of course, from your fast moving community manager.
In-flight Wi-Fi means more service and sales opportunities
More connectedness through temporary communities
By offering relevant services in a temporary community, the traveler will want to ‘enter’ this community. Latent needs are met, the traveler is entertained and ‘inspired’ to consume, which increases the turnover per traveler. The latter is realized, for example, because the ‘operator’ of the temporary community applies a kickback or other revenue model to orders or activities at participating business partners. Reasons for travelers to enter the community could be: obtaining a discount on orders via the temporary community and/or saving points, which allows you as a traveler to travel again with certain benefits (an upgrade, a gift, discount).
Temporary communities positively influence the traveler’s experience. Offering Wi-Fi-based services can make the choice more likely to fall on your organization. The connection with your service becomes stronger and customer satisfaction increases.
Digital shopping at Tesco in the metro
When will the business community dare to invest on a large scale in Wi-Fi and develop new online services for the traveling consumer? Will this question be answered in 2013? What is your opinion?
