The Expedia group unveiled its first ‘Expedia Innovation Lab’ in Asia, with a view to using its proprietary scientific methods to capture consumer online and app travel search and booking behaviour, and to inform future innovation and technology development globally.
Jonty Neal, Chief Executive Officer, Expedia Asia said,
“Asia’s emerging position as a leader in mobile application and technology makes it as an ideal location and testbed for us to solve business challenges with new solutions. We have a commitment to growing Asia suppliers, partners, travellers and team, as well as investing in technology and innovation, much of this driven by insights from Asia.
The launch of the Expedia Innovation Lab in Singapore reinforces our strong partnership in the travel and technology ecosystem in the region, that we’re very proud to play a significant role in.”
Located in its Asia regional headquarters in Singapore, the lab deploys two primary technical capabilities, which when combined with real-time questioning, uncovers how travelers engage with Expedia’s family of websites:
- Electromyography (EMG) technology: Expedia researchers track the changes in the EMG readings of traveller-participants to better understand the real-time impact that the experience is having on the subject as he or she navigates the site or app booking process.
- Eye tracking technology for site and app: when paired with eye-tracking, researchers with unique skills in cognitive psychology and data analytics are able to get a sharp read on exactly where the user was looking, what actions they took as a result of emotional responses to what they were seeing, and explore triggered the respondents’ travel-search or booking decision, be it delight or frustration.
While each individual has a unique experience while booking a trip, collectively this data reveals trends that inform future site and app innovation, in this case, specific to Asia Pacific travelers.
In this way, Expedia makes the change that really matter to customers, which helps both them and its partners.
This is the third Expedia Innovation Lab for the company; one in its Bellevue headquarters and the other recently launched in London; and the first for Asia Pacific.