Why Airlines Should Consider Using a Headless CMS for Ecommerce

By August 2023, airline traffic will reach 95% of traffic reported in 2019, according to EUROCONTROL forecasts. Customer expectations, however, have long since exceeded those in 2019.

After all, the wider ecommerce space has spent the last few years embracing the headless CMS approach to deliver rich, seamless and personalized omnichannel digital experiences. With customer expectations now sky high, it’s no surprise that airlines have started to adopt a headless CMS to propel their digital strategy and improve their customer experience.

Is the C-suite ready to fly?

Despite the palpable appetite for digital transformation within the airline industry, studies indicate that a gap currently exists between how airline execs perceive their ecommerce capabilities, and how travellers perceive their own experiences. In a recent report by Datalex, a huge 37% of travellers stated the belief that airlines lagged behind other ecommerce sites, such as those in the fashion industry. Airline execs, on the other hand, see a very different picture, with 60% stating airlines are on-par with other ecommerce sites, and 24% even believing they were ahead.

Spare a thought then for the airline CTOs and digital transformation leaders striving to secure executive commitment and funding for a digital-first, customer-centric future. And then spare another thought for those airlines trying to stay competitive as their legacy CMS’ shudder under the weight of the challenge.

Sound familiar? Feel free to check out our resources and get in touch so we can support you in building your business case for modern content management.

Yet, some airlines are taking off

Despite this disparity, a growing number of airlines are looking to gain a competitive advantage through the kind of innovative, responsive and personalized experiences a headless CMS can deliver at speed and scale.

One major Spanish airline experienced stability problems. A complex web presence, consisting of 29 sites in multiple languages, pushed the limits of their legacy CMS. They needed multi-language, multi-market and multi-site management, with the flexibility to make quick updates to their dynamic pages – Home, Booking, Postsales and Check-in.

By adopting a headless CMS, they were able to segment, customize and personalize content without relying on development support, and they now have flexibility and agility in updating and creating content.

A major US airline is using a headless CMS to tick off major strategic targets.

Their ambitious plans to add another 30,000 people to their workforce are in full swing. To onboard, support and engage their growing team, each member of staff, from new hires to seasoned pros, needed access to personalized information tailored to their role and requirements, from flight plans and itineraries to timely guidance on solving customer complaints.

Their new headless CMS approach is also the engine behind their seamless omnichannel booking process. Travellers are guided through every step on their trip, and receive personalized messages about travel updates, such as flight delays.

The reduced maintenance and development time inherent in a headless CMS means that they can now spend more time innovating and improving their customers’ digital experience.

Headless and seamless go hand in hand

The increasing customer demand for flights coupled with the speed of digital advance means that travellers are expecting more from their digital experience with airlines. The disparity between the exec-level perception of service and the customer experience demonstrates the need for new and innovative ways for airlines to deliver content, engage customers and support their travellers’ trips from beginning to end.

Adopting a headless CMS removes bottlenecks and facilitates scale, effective targeting and personalized customer interactions.

At Amplience, we share our customers’ ambition for creating a digital-first, customer centric experience. We’ve partnered with hundreds of brands across many industries, and have extensive real-world experience of the ecommerce challenges they face. From implementation to deployment, we can help your digital transformation take flight. Book your demo here.