As consumers continue to get out and interact with their favorite brands, their safety radar is on high alert. Consumers are taking note of which brands are taking their safety seriously – which is fueling brand loyalty for brands getting it right. Here we’ll take a look at one such brand putting a positive spin on the needle. Amtrak recently rolled out a new app and it’s a self-serve for safety that tackles the fears of travelers on the fence.
We’ll explore Amtrak’s consumer safety approach by looking at:
- How the transportation industry got hit hard.
- Amtrak positioning itself to stay top of mind – and hearts.
- It’s smart partnership with RB, the makers of Lysol.
And here are a few related statistics that brands will find interesting:
- A recent survey conducted by IPX1031 found that 37% of Americans have put their vacation travel plans on hold and 64% do not feel comfortable flying with a commercial airline.
- Due to safety concerns, a recent McKinsey survey that included respondents from 45 countries found that 70% don’t feel comfortable with taking up their normal activities outside of the home.
Transportation Hit Hard
Though restrictions have eased in many places and restaurants and destinations have slowly opened their doors, many would be travelers are still staying put. People just aren’t traveling amidst lingering coronavirus concerns, and it’s not just vacations they’re putting on hold, but business travel as well.
The lack of leisure and business travel has put an obvious hurting on the travel industry and brands have their work cut out for them in wooing passengers back. Rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft saw ride hailing drop sharply, as did operators of train lines and bus services.
While 37% of people say they’ve put their vacation travel plans on hold, what about the other 63%? Likewise, though 70% aren’t ready to resume their ‘normal’ outside activities, how can brands reach the other 30%?
Those are the questions that brands should be asking themselves. Because it only makes sense that people will gauge their future activity on the safety and success of those who step out first. Here we pulled in the online conversation centered around travel and transportation over the last three months into Quid Social and found people exploring their options.
And travelers are still showing the coronavirus as a factor in their decisions, with the social distancing and face covering clusters taking up 5% of the conversation.
Amtrak Stays Top of Mind – and Hearts
Many people who are traveling have opted to drive to their destination feeling it’s their safest option to avoid exposure to others. That’s where travel companies have a hurdle to cross in making consumers feel their risk is minimal while traveling with other passengers.
But with greater numbers of people able to work remotely, coupled with the roominess of train compartments, Amtrak might very well be in a great position to capture market share in the travel space. As a matter of fact, the train travel and train station clusters land in the top five on our travel network map comprising 12.2% of the conversation.
To really dig into our social media listening, we filtered the network map for social media posts that specifically mentioned the word train, and then created a train mentions tag with those results. Afterwards, we set the bar chart tool to filter our tag for organizations by primary mention.
And as you can see, Amtrak is getting quite a few more conversational hits than other railways in the global narrative.
Despite the transportation woes that the pandemic wrought, being the most talked about company in your industry is a great place for Amtrak to be. Not content to just be top of mind, they’re out to capture consumers’ hearts as well.
Minimizing Contact to Capture Consumers’ Hearts
Amtrak just rolled out a new app that is purposely built to minimize contact while traveling the railway. And it goes a long way to give consumers peace of mind. The new mobile app includes features such as:
- Real-time capacity indicator – which shows how full the bookings are for your train. It’s also worthy to note that they are operating at reduced capacity for social distancing which is reflected in the percentage.
- Seamless gate service – which sends consumers gate and track info via push notifications to avoid confusion in the terminal.
- Contact free travel – which allows customers to book, board, check train status and more, all from the safety of their mobile devices.
These days, every little bit helps to ease the minds of travelers and Amtrak continues to go the extra mile.
Amtrak Partners with RB to Strengthen Hygiene Protocols
Being hyper sanitary was an emerging trend back in March that is here to stay. And with the goal of getting its customers to their destinations safely, Amtrak’s partnership with RB, the makers of Lysol, is sure to be impactful for travelers.
The partnership is part of Amtrak’s multi-pronged approach to set a “new standard of travel with enhanced safety and cleaning measures.” To that end, RB will supply Amtrak with Lysol branded disinfectant to be used in high traffic/touch areas in their trains, stations and lounges.
And it doesn’t take a social media listening guru to know that from a consumer standpoint – if they don’t see you doing it, you’re not doing it. Therefore, Amtrak’s aim is to “ensure customers notice enhanced protocols and processes put in place to help create a safer travel experience.”
Between the RB partnership, new app rollout, mandatory face coverings for employees/travelers and EPA approved disinfection products, Amtrak is pulling out all the stops to ensure a safe travel experience.
The travel industry has suffered its setbacks for sure, and brands like Amtrak are taking the initiative to get it back on track. Consumer feedback is ripe for the picking and being the first brand on the scene to meet their needs means everything. Social media listening that yields intel into consumer need and emerging trends doesn’t have to be hard – but it does have to be diligent.
Is your brand or industry caught in a slump? Using next generation artificial intelligence (AI) we help brands get back on the road with social media listening tools that deliver actionable intelligence. Be sure to reach out for a demo so your brand doesn’t miss a thing!
