Uber Technologies Inc. is achieving global success and have so far successfully achieved verb status: “you don't call a car, you uber-a-car”. The company is now introducing a new feature to its app called Trip Experiences. App makers will be granted access to its service to give riders customised music, news and even restaurant reviews.
This new feature will see Uber leveraging music and other entertainment content as a bid to get to know their customers better using app integrations in the mobile space.
Uber app will customise your next trip with music
Last March, Uber announced it would give app developers permission to drop an Uber button into its interfaces. And now, as what is being billed as the biggest update to its API “Trip Experiences”, Uber is allowing third party companies to access its interface. This strategic move is essentially allowing an app with the rider’s permission, to serve up a variety of content during the trip based on the specifics of each ride, such as a 10 minute playlist for a 10 minute trip or a 5 minute news update for a 5 minute trip.
Uber will be leveraging music in this new feature, which will effectively make a rider's experience in the backseat of a car more worthwhile. Music playlists will be available for the entire trip duration, allowing passengers to listen to their favorite tunes while they’re traveling between two destinations.
With this option available, passengers will be giving Uber access to other information outside their trip details, such as what music genre they listen to at a particular time of the day. With music integration in its API and by creating another means to engage on mobile, Uber is offering its customers a more personalised ride experience while gathering specific data in an attempt to know their individual preferences. Because music is a universal language that evokes a strong emotional connection with a large scale audience, Uber is able to connect with its riders during the trip in the least intrusive way while appealing to all, regardless of its users' diverse demographics.
Uber's goal to know its customers in-depth by offering music and entertainment content is a strategic move that other brands should start realizing. Tuned Global's Managing Director, Con Raso, discussed with Marketing Magazine about the importance of collecting qualitative data. He said, “Brands need to glean vast amounts of qualitative data about their customers, without making them feel uncomfortable or suspicious, in order to differentiate their approach.”
>> Read our article on using digital music as an activator to gather data <<
Turning customer data to dollars
As Uber launches Trip Experiences, we are expecting to see more consumer apps integration with its API that will allow riders to consume curated content, such as music, news, entertainment and local guides over the next several months.
Uber is already seeing some positive results of its API integration project. Report generated by Uber Partner, Button, which was shared exclusively with The Verge reveals that integration of other apps within Uber resulted to an 11 % increase in the time spent by riders within the Uber app.
Moreover, the average number of visits to a page with the Uber button on it increased up to 26% after a user engaged with the Uber button. And 21% of those users came back within 48 hours and used the feature to navigate to Uber again. This technology symbiosis is definetely welcomed by consumers with arms wide open.
Uber's attempt to increase in-app engagement to continously feed its pipeline with customer data is no coincidence. With consumers opening up access to their journey details and revealing individual preferences, they will no doubt be on the receiving end of targeted ads, perhaps for a bar or restaurant near the rider’s destination.
Google's 258M investment in Uber last 2013 will most likely influence Uber UX to extend display and possibly audio ads into the app. This is another means for Uber to monetise its growing consumer base outside ride fees. By continuously mining customer data, Uber will be able to offer contextual ads that will appeal to each passenger's specific taste and preference, as revealed by the type of music and content each one consumes. Contextual ads would be least intrusive and would therefore offer higher ROI for advertisers.
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Follow @TunedGlobalUber says it's aware that with great power comes great responsibility, which is why the company has ensured that users will be in complete control with the ability to opt in and out of the app. "They will need to give permission before their favorite apps can connect to Uber and access their trip details," the company says. "And users will be able to turn off the feature app by app at any point if it's not useful."
Uber uses music & other content to give customers a personalised ride experience whilst gathering data #PowerOfMusic
This new feature would certainly make your trip more enjoyable, even if Uber will more than likely slip in a few targeted ads amongst the itinerary of entertainment.
Uber is dominating the ride-hailing business, and this innovative feature which uses music and other content to integrate apps in the mobile space brings the company one step ahead of the game. Leveraging existing apps and the content they offer, this initiative is low in investment but offers high return. By allowing passengers to consume personal content like music, Uber is in the successful track of getting to know its customers better.
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Copyright Pictures Property: newsroom.uber.com, theverge.com
