Tripadvisor: A case study of AI implementation in CX

Tripadvisor used conversational AI technology for a campaign executed on voice assistants like Alexa and Google Assistant with the goal of maintaining engagement during the pandemic, according to Adam Ochman, global head of marketing at Tripadvisor.

The issue: The company saw engagement levels drop as the pandemic stifled travel plans. As a result, it wanted to improve the ease of CX and increase touchpoints in a time of low engagement.

What Tripadvisor did: Tripadvisor launched two voice assistant campaigns where users could interact with itineraries on Alexa or Google Assistant, one for Abu Dhabi and the other for Visit Orlando. The campaigns attempted to fit into the audience’s daily life and met consumers where they spent the most time—in their homes.

The user was able to have a conversation with a voice assistant and engage with the itineraries, eventually heading to Tripadvisor’s website if they decided to continue planning their trip. The experience weaved in content from the website like reviews, which allowed users to access this information in a new way. Tripadvisor also tested, learned, and amended its plans during the campaigns.

The result: Tripadvisor considered the campaigns successful. Users spent more than 4 minutes on average engaging with the campaigns, answering approximately seven prompts. In all, users engaged with the Visit Orlando campaign for a combined 450 hours and spent more than 1,300 hours with the Abu Dhabi campaign. Both campaigns increased performance. Tripadvisor also won a Drum Award for “Most Effective Use of AI/Machine Learning” as a result of this campaign.

Where else is it considering AI: Tripadvisor is considering the use of dynamic content tailored to their individual users as well as predictive analytics for better creative output and delivery.

It is also contemplating the metaverse—with ideas like itineraries accessed in virtual reality before buying—and travel retail applications.