Here’s a copy of my article that was included in the December 14, 2010 edition of TSIL.
SALES CHANNELS EVOLVING AS DIGITAL PLATFORMS MATURE
Gaining access to large groups of customers by offering discounts or commissions is not new, but the mediums in which these transactions occur are evolving rapidly. Liftopia has been a leader to emerge in this space and currently services resorts across the US and Canada, allowing resorts to offer specific inventory and reach a wider audience.
What’s next? An upcoming session at the National Ski Areas Association Western Winter Conference and Tradeshow in Alta/Snowbird entitled “Channel Surfing” will dive into the topic of evolving sales and marketing channels. Some resorts are moving quickly into this new space while others are using the latest digital tools to become their own online inventory broker.
Groupon is a recent entrant into the bulk lift ticket sales market. Burke Mountain, VT recently reported sales of 600 tickets at a 50% yield in a one-day sale. Keystone Resort, CO saw similar impressive sales numbers through a Groupon offer in the fall of 2009, but craigslist and eBay resales, along with the significant commission, were noted as challenges, according to Christian Knapp, Keystone’s senior brand director. Knapp is slated to be on the NSAA “Channel Surfing” discussion panel.
Direct selling through social media channels remains generally a faux pas, but “Facebook Friday” at Sunday River is entering its second year and seems to have found an audience, thanks to simplicity. Built as an “event,” attendees simply select that they will “attend” and in doing so they get a discount on the upcoming Friday lift ticket. Friday, Dec. 10 saw 482 “attendees.” Nick Lambert, Sunday River’s VP of marketing and sales, points to several positives: the “bring a friend” likelihood, making two-day weekends into three-day weekends, and snow conditions awareness.
Mike Henderson, social media strategist at One to One Interactive, noted that some resorts are focusing on addressing third party sales in a manner that appears to be a repeat of the recent decrease in mainstream media buys. He says that by building and cultivating the audience you want via an internet strategy – inclusive of SEO, SEM, email, advertising and social – the need to pay others to communicate or sell on your behalf decreases. – A.K.
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