Nowadays, there are plenty of people talking about Blockchain. Some of them trying to find useful AND PROFITABLE ways to use this technology in our beloved sector. I will try to convey my vision about this matter.
How do you monetize Blockchain in Tourism?
To me, this is a wrong question. Blockchain is a tool. Of course, providers of this technology (Ethereum, Hyperledger….) will try to find ways to monetize it BUT from Tourism point of view we have to see if this technology help us to create more profitable enterprises!
Blockchain can be useful both, in public scenarios and in private ones, as we can read in this article BUT as I commented in this tweet...We also have to take into consideration… the chain of value!!! OR Digital Ecosystem if you prefer !!!
Do you really want to apply Blockchain when you have a static chain of value? I mean, when you are dealing with the same set of suppliers, distributors, meeting places of your Tourists… Forget about it! Much better use a normal (and as good as 20 years ago) Data Base!
When is a good idea to use Blockchain? When you have a dynamic chain of value, when the members of this chain of value appear and disappear. It is in this scenario when you will need the main features of Blockchain technology. Trusted and shared identity, adaptive and smart contracts and secure payments!
Blockchain can help YOU to offer interesting things to YOUR community of specialized Tourists then, you will monetize YOUR community! Let’s see if I can summarized this in four steps:
1) First things first, create a good segmentation process! Forget about Dr. Frankenstein ones!!!
Do you really think that you can create a powerful community without a deeper segmentation? Well… you can BUT if a powerful investor appears marking down the price you will be out of the market!!! So, better be sure that you follow the deeper segmentation (or NOT Dr. Frankenstein) rules!
If you are unable to create groups inside the segment, if they don’t love to talk each other about your services, about your trips… you don’t have a community… you have a bunch of individual tourist!!!
2) You can become a Super 3 (S3) for this community.
Some of my Touristologists have problems with S3 concept. S3 is NOT a concept… It is a PROFIT generator. It is an OPPORTUNITIES creator for YOU!!!
S3 is an intermediary. You are in the middle of a community that trust you and want to use other people/enterprises services BUT ONLY if these services are customized and servuctioned in the same way that they love. YOUR WAY!
Then, these people / enterprises will be willing to pay YOU to sell anything to YOUR Customers.
S3 it was the name of the game that Microsoft played with IBM! IBM was focus only in the hardware (the product)! Microsoft focus on to be the intermediary (The Operating System) between any PC provider (apart from APPLE!) or software provider (Data Base, Text Processor… anything!) and the customer that want to use this PC or software through the Microsoft Operating System!
Here in this video we can image how the meeting was…
It is a very interesting scene! But you know what… nothing can compare to the things that you can create in our beloved sector OR in any other sector!
Be ready, be willing to try, dream to win!!!
IBMs of the Tourism sector! I proudly introduce you the Bill Gates of XXI century… MY Touristologists!!!
You don’t have a product to sell. You have a community to serve. This is your power, this is your competitive advantage!!!
You can sell MORE, both to the members of the community and for any person/organization trying to seduce them. I try to represent this idea with this graphic
3) Enterprises willing to offer their services to YOUR Customers will offer the 3C’s in a customized, Syndicated and Pro-amized way
4) To offer these services in this way you will need tools. Blockchain is one of these tools… providing…
A) Share a trusted identity: I know who you are (Customers, suppliers…). Blockchain allow us to verify our identity and all the information that it is necessary for the transaction that we want to do. I repeat, NOT all the information, ONLY the information that we need! Remember, customization without privacy it is a nightmare!
B) Smart contracts: Blockchain allow us to create “smart contracts” to link together actions and consequences.
B) Smart contracts: Blockchain allow us to create “smart contracts” to link together actions and consequences.
C) Pay secure: Sure, you get the money! Blockchain allow us to make secure payments!
Blockchain make very easy to increase members of the chain of value!!! It allows you to setup an OPEN ecosystem focus on providing all the things the members of YOUR community need before, during and after the trip!!!
Can other tools help you? Of course…
IoT: Smart devices connected and giving support to the Tourist! Some very intelligent people call it Ledger Of Things.
Artificial Intelligence (Machine Learning, Deep Learning…) offering recommendations, knowing what are the Tourist is watching and customizing what appear in the reality.
Jordi… is this possible?
Of course! Augmented reality ring a bell to you?
I try to summarize this idea using this figure…
Do you think that following these four steps WE can make OUR idea profitable? I’m willing to try! Do you want to join me? Do you like (or are you willing to learn how) to code in order to use these technologies? Do you like Touristology? Sounds enough to me!!!
