Signature Unveils MyTravelSite, Destination-Themed Mobile App

Signature Unveils MyTravelSite, Destination-Themed Mobile App

Signature Travel Network has announced MyTravelSite, plans for a mobile travel application, and other technology advancements at its annual Owner’s Meeting, at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. MyTravelSite is a personalized, customizable webpage that clients can access for logic-based recommendations on travel, based on travel preferences, past travel history, demographic and psychographic information.

Clients will have the ability to use Facebook Connect to link their MyTravelSite account with their Facebook profile, as well as create and publish travel blogs that push them to Facebook. “Signature makes it easy for us to connect with our customers via social networks,” said Uf Tukel, co-president of WMPH and iCruise.com.

In addition to the launch of MyTravelSite, Signature has announced its plans to launch a mobile application for iPhone, iPad and Androids devices to provide a “Pocket Travel Consultant.” The application will focus on destination-themed content, taking advantage of “location” knowledge and will be complemented by value-added features, including destination guides, immediate planning/booking of activities, hotels booking, local restaurant and transportation information, as well as destination navigation.

The application also provides the ability to research cultures and historical sites, filtered by interest, and provides direct access to Facebook and Twitter users in order to share real-time experiences. The application will also provide clients with notifications of specials for destination/product interests within the destination.

In addition to the new advancements in the areas of mobile and social marketing, the organization has placed major emphasis on e-marketing programs. As e-marketing continues to grow and advance, Signature is taking major steps to modify its robust e-marketing tools to work seamlessly in the mobile arena. In a recent study by ExactTarget, results showed that 93 percent of consumers register for at east one e-mail marketing program, and more than 50 percent of consumers make purchases as a direct result of email.

The study confirmed that email marketing drives more conversions than any other marketing channel, making it an imperative part of any business today. As mobile technology continues to grow, Signature is also enhancing its e-marketing to be used through mobile devices.

Signature’s e-marketing technology allows members to track e-marketing efforts across the member-base. The consortia’s open rate with mobile devices in particular is as high as 15 percent, outpacing the average by more than 6 percent. Signature will soon implement email campaigns designed for the best experience on the most popular mobile devices (iPhone, Android devices and Blackberry). Signature will also allow customers to subscribe to receive SMS (text) messages rather than emails.

Additionally, all supporting content is being redesigned to be “mobile ready” including cruise and tour offers, destination information, cruise descriptions/product reviews and more. Signature’s technology will auto-detect if an email is being viewed on a mobile device and the user will be automatically re-directed to the newly implemented mobile website content.

Additional technology advancements are in the works for the organization, including web status updates through Facebook and Twitter available to Signature Members with trackable reporting features; online, interactive, page-flipping publications for tablet devices customizable to each Signature member; news feeds for agent/owners that will push content to travel consultant desktops or mobile devices with breaking news and customizable to each consultant’s area of expertise; a consolidated search engine for Signature’s Intranet site; as well as a river cruising microsite.