In this blog post, we take a look at six travel brands that send great triggered emails. The examples we explore show how you can use automations at each stage of the customer journey. Read on to learn how to engage travellers, sell products and services, and build better relationships with recipients.

When it comes to travel marketing, the customer’s journey with your brand doesn’t start at the airport or railway station: it starts with the very first email from you. Are you helpful and responsive, or corporate and distant? Each message they receive get helps them build an impression of your brand.

Ensuring each email nicely sets up the next helps you offer a seamless customer experience. Managing all these messages can be tricky, so smart marketers turn to triggered emails. Also known as automations, these automatic messages get sent in response to customer’s behaviours or actions.

Virgin America: Welcome aboard

Virgin America sets its relationships off to a flying start with a simple automated email sent to welcome new subscribers.

We love this example which thanks people for signing-up, tells them what they’ve got to look forward to, and introduces them to the brand in a fun and quirky way.

Virgin America welcome aboard

Eurostar: Seats available

Eurostar does a good job of prompting people to book by sending them ticket release alerts for destinations they’ve recently browsed on their website.

These eye-catching automated emails deliver a sense of urgency while also giving a stylish impression of the brand and destinations which drives interest, traffic, and bookings.

Eurostar seats available

Mark Warner: Saved search

Researching a holiday can take hours of comparing resorts, prices, and dates online.

Mark Warner prompts people to return again with a handy automated round-up of their search results. Sending abandonment emails is a great way of reminding the customer what they found, making it easier for them to return, and encouraging them to go ahead and book.

Mark Warner saved search

Trainline: Get ready

Trainline builds excitement about the journey ahead with a great automated email triggered just days before travel.

This email reminds the customer to pick up their tickets and encourages them to download the app. It also contains useful information about the weather and the stations they’re using to make improve the customer’s experience.

Trainline get ready

Fiji Airways: Your recent flight

Just because the customer has made their journey doesn’t mean the job of email marketing is done.

Fiji Airways shows the customer it cares by sending them an automated email triggered after they complete their flight. It’s a nice way of capturing feedback and building an ongoing relationship which encourages customer loyalty.

Fiji your recent flight

Jet Blue: Annual summary

Jet Blue brings each customer’s data to life with an eye-catching personalised infographic rounding-up all their annual activity.

Sending an automated yet creative annual statement is a great way of thanking customers and reactivating them by prompting them to think about their travel plans for the year ahead.

Jet blue annual summary

Takeaway

Taking inspiration from the six triggered email examples we’ve explored will help you to stimulate your customers’ curiosity, drive engagement and, most importantly, increase your bookings.

Automations may require careful planning and design—but once they’re set up they’ll help you manage your customer relationships much more efficiently, generating more bookings with less effort.

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