2. INNOVATIONS IN
REAL-TIME TRIGGERED
MESSAGING
- Manny Ju, BlueHornet
- Kristi Gole, Global Hotel Alliance
- Rebecca Gentry, Global Hotel Alliance

3. Real-time triggered messaging
• What are some examples?
• What are recent innovations
in this area?
• How does Global Hotel Alliance use it?
• How do you set it up?

4. Event-Triggered Messaging
“What type of automated, event-triggered, lifecycle email messages does your organization deploy?”
Welcome
50%
Thanks
48%
Transactional
40%
Activation
26%
Upsell/Cross-sell
25%
Post Purchase
25%
Date Triggered
24%
Event Countdown
18%
Website Behavior
18%
Win-back
Abandoned Cart
Other
15%
9%
7%
2013 Email Marketing Benchmark Report, MarketingSherpa

5. Real-Time Triggered Messaging
“What type of automated, real-time triggered email messages does your organization deploy?”
Welcome
Thanks
Transactional
Activation
Upsell/Cross-sell
Post-Purchase
Date Triggered
Event Countdown
Website Behavior
Win-back
Abandoned Cart
Other

6. Open Rates
Welcome
Transactional
Activation/Promotional
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
2013 Email Marketing Benchmark Report, MarketingSherpa

7. “Thank You” Confirmation

8. Real-Time Triggered Messaging
“What type of automated, real-time triggered email messages does your organization deploy?”
Welcome
Thanks
Transactional
Activation
Upsell/Cross-sell
Post-Purchase
Date Triggered
Event Countdown
Website Behavior
Win-back
Abandoned Cart
Other

9. Why abandoned cart remarketing?
Source: “The Science of Shopping Cart Abandonment”, SeeWhy, 2011

10. Why abandoned cart remarketing?

11. Why real-time?
Real-time vs. Batch
18.2% Higher Recovery
10X Revenue
Source: “The Science of Shopping Cart Abandonment”, SeeWhy, 2011

12. Real-Time Triggered Messaging
“What type of automated, real-time triggered email messages does your organization deploy?
Welcome
Thanks
Transactional
Activation
Upsell/Cross-sell
Post-Purchase
Date Triggered
Event Countdown
Website Behavior
Win-back
Abandoned Cart
Other

13. Website Gamification
To: Rionegro1158@hotmail.com
From: Warren@investments.com
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Source: E*Trade website

14. App Engagement Programs
To: mju@bluehornet.com
From: workout@skechers.com
----------------------------------------------------------Congratulations, Manny, on your recent
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to match your current calorie burn rate.
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15. Live the Game Beyond The Game
To: mju@bluehornet.com
From: GameMaster@assassinsworld.com
-----------------------------------------------------------Manny,
Congratulations on defeating the Triad of Doom!
But get ready! You’ll need to gear up for when you
enter The Valley of Rondelaid.
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>>Gear Me Up now!

16. How does GHA use it?
Loyalty Program Triggers
(opt-in database marketing)

17. GHA real-time triggers
– Lifecycle Messaging
(our 1st step – live: 9 key triggers)
• Welcome Series
• Stay activity
• Rewards

18. GHA real-time triggers
– Preference Triggers
(our 2nd step – in progress)
• Email Preference Form:
series of triggers based on
–Geographic interests
–Categories

19. GHA real-time triggers
– Incorporating promotional
content into the triggers
(our 3rd step – 2014 Q1)
• Discount for booking direct
• Time-sensitive offers

20. GHA real-time triggers
– Targeted and Promotional
(our 4th step – 2014 Q1)
• Generate 2nd stay
• ‘Enrolled at x hotel’ series
• x months after leisure
booking

21. GHA real-time triggers
– Behavioral Triggers
(our 5th step – 2014 Q2)
• Searched for routes on
website without booking
• Clicked on x content
category in email

22. GHA real-time data in other emails
– Ongoing
• Integrating real-time data into the monthly
newsletter and CRM emails

23. GHA email stats comparison
EMAIL CATEGORY
DELIVERY
% to sent
UNIQUE OPEN UNIQUE CLICK
OPT-OUT
% to delivered
% to opened
% to opened
Monthly Account Summary
95.3%
16.9%
9.4%
1.2%
Flash Sale Promotion
93.9%
17.3%
16.4%
1.7%
CRM / Targeted Campaigns
95.3%
17.1%
10.9%
1.0%
REAL-TIME: Welcome Series
92.6%
37.7%
26.6%
0.4%
REAL-TIME: Stay Activity
94.9%
48.2%
25.9%
0.0%
REAL-TIME: Rewards Triggers
97.7%
56.4%
11.3%
0.0%

24. Approach: in principal it is simple
1
2
3
Once you can dig
into the complexity,
it is “fairly” simple.

25. Approach: in principal it is simple
REAL TIME:
Welcome
to GHA
Discovery

26. Approach: in principal it is simple
smarty tags
PHP
{$external_id}
{$email}
{$xfirst_name}
{$xname}
{$membership_card_no}
{$mem_enroll_group}
{$membership_level}
{$language_preference}

27. Approach: in principal it is simple
anatomy of the subject line
{if $language_preference == 'DE'}Willkommen zu GHA Discovery!
{elseif $language == 'ES'}¡Bienvenido a GHA Discovery!
{elseif $language == 'JA'}GHA Discovery へようこそ!
{elseif $language == 'PT'}Bem-vindo ao GHA Discovery!
{elseif $language == 'ZH'}欢迎来到「GHA探索之旅」﹗
{else}Welcome to GHA Discovery!{/if}

28. Approach: in principal it is simple
anatomy of the subject line
{if $language_preference == 'DE'}Willkommen zu GHA Discovery!
{elseif $language == 'ES'}¡Bienvenido a GHA Discovery!
{elseif $language == 'JA'}GHA Discovery へようこそ!
{elseif $language == 'PT'}Bem-vindo ao GHA Discovery!
{elseif $language == 'ZH'}欢迎来到「GHA探索之旅」﹗
{else}Welcome to GHA Discovery!{/if}

29. Approach: in principal it is simple
anatomy of the subject line
{if $language_preference == 'DE'}Willkommen zu GHA Discovery!
{elseif $language == 'ES'}¡Bienvenido a GHA Discovery!
{elseif $language == 'JA'}GHA Discovery へようこそ!
{elseif $language == 'PT'}Bem-vindo ao GHA Discovery!
{elseif $language == 'ZH'}欢迎来到「GHA探索之旅」﹗
{else}Welcome to GHA Discovery!{/if}

30. Approach: how GHA applies it
1. Member enrolls on our
website or brand system
and is received in our CRM
2. Check for login details Create if missing.
3. If all pre-checks are good,
grab the member name
(clean bad characters),
member number & level,
preferred language and
enrolling brand
4. Fire off to the BH api

31. Approach: how GHA applies it

32. Approach: how GHA applies it

33. Approach: how GHA applies it
api call
<email>rebecca.gentry@gha.com</email>
<template_id>4448033</template_id>
<external_id>1790832</external_id>
<membership_card_no>8504379019</membership_card_no>
<membership_level>GOLD</membership_level>
<language_preference>E</language_preference>
<mem_enroll_group>GHA</mem_enroll_group>
<xfirst_name>TEST ME</first_name>
<xname>WELCOME</last_name>

34. Approach: how GHA applies it
1. Message received by the
members
2. Customized based on language,
brand enrolled
3. Opens and clicks (and revenue)
recorded and accessible via the
tool or via an API
4. GHA writes back to the
datamart for further analysis

35. Approach: in principal it is simple
Real-time triggers
usually change the
dynamic of working
with the eCommerce,
Data and IT teams in
your organization

36. Approach: how GHA applies it
marketing
strategist
Determines what to send
based on the marketing
goal and the
customer +real-time
data
email
developer
api
developer
Codes the email with
variable tags that the API
developer will send
Sends the tags via the
API that the template is
expecting. Waits for
success response.
Records the response.

37. Approach: in principal it is simple
Structure of your
customer data
real-time data
product data

38. Approach: how GHA applies it
gha.com enrollments
+
enrollments in brand
systems
•
Data-driven email strategy requires
structure
•
GHA’s data flow 300 hotels + gha.com
GHA’s Central System
•
membership
datamart
Consider real-time triggers into to your
datamart for future messaging
•
Combining social / mobile data sources &
appends

39. Approach: it’s already being done
Developers already
fire many real-time
events on the
website
…the BH api just
adds another event

40. Approach: developers are eager
Every developer
wants to make
cool stuff

41. Approach: developers are eager
+
Bring three things:
1. The BH API guide
Good news…you
don’t need to know
what’s in it

42. Approach: developers are eager
Bring three things:
2. a BRD
+
+
P.S.…it’s basically a
marketing brief w/
bonus points for a flow
chart

43. Approach: developers are eager
+
+
Bring three things:
3. Candy bars
My little secret:
Developers work for
candy bars

44. Q+A

45. THANK
YOU!