The loyalty program "is under consideration" at Airbnb, and the launch of the company's business focused on experiences and services will allow the home-sharing platform to "better" reward customers, said Chief Business Officer Dave Stephenson, UNN reports with reference to Bloomberg.
Details
While Airbnb has no plans for a quick launch, the company has "a lot of tools and elements that will make a loyalty program attractive in the future," Stephenson said in an interview at Bloomberg's Chicago office. He came to the city to celebrate the company's first global live music partnership with Lollapalooza festivals around the world.
"If we create a loyalty program, we want it to be unique," he added. "We don't just want to award points for dollars. It will have to include experiences, services and accommodation, and how all of that will be interconnected."
In May, Airbnb updated its range of tours and travel services, and also introduced additional services, such as hiring a personal chef, professional trainer or masseur.
CEO Brian Chesky said these projects could generate $1 billion and greater annual revenue as the company expands beyond accommodation. The launch of a loyalty program that includes these services would mark a change of course after Chesky previously rejected the idea of rewarding points for dollars.
The company is often asked about this. Even during the last earnings call in May, Chesky said that subsidized points programs are "a fee for not having a lot of loyalty programs on the platform." According to him, Airbnb already demonstrates a high level of user retention, so the company will consider alternative models, for example, a program similar to Amazon Prime, which increases the frequency of visits and "share of wallet."
"I think any program that increases share of wallet or encourages people not necessarily to come back to Airbnb, but to use it more often throughout more of their life, not necessarily every year, but imagine every month or every week, including in your own city, would be very, very attractive to us," he said during the conference.
Addition
In March, Airbnb launched its first discount program, under which users can receive Airbnb bonuses by booking rooms at its subsidiary, HotelTonight.