How can we make rail stand out on the shelf?

Last week’s Accelerate: Rail 2022 conference in London was an uplifting experience. There was an unmissable buzz of excitement in the air, as key leaders from across the rail industry discussed how best to attract more passengers onto our trains.?

Our very own Champa Magesh, President of Trainline Partner Solutions, was among the speakers. She addressed the conference to highlight one of the key questions the industry is grappling with: how can we ensure rail really stands out on the shelf when potential customers are browsing, and make sure it is a visible and attractive option that leaves the competition in its shadow??

Where travellers have a choice in how they make their journey, as an industry we need to be able to give them the hard sell and persuade them to choose rail, rather than driving or flying.??

Rail has so many natural advantages – you arrive in the heart of the city you are visiting, you have a specified arrival time, and you can use the journey time to work – or to relax if you prefer! But this can only sway the traveller if the rail option is presented to them at the right time and in the right way.?

Only through digital retailing can we reach potential customers when they are still at that crucial decision-making stage, and ensure rail becomes the easy choice to make. That conversion needs to happen seamlessly, and it needs to fit the needs of the traveller. They want to have some options, but they also need simplicity. Our job is to provide great tech that can deliver against both of those priorities.?

That’s the purpose of our technology platform, and why we have such a great team constantly developing it. We’ve blogged before about how it is designed to meet the needs of a range of different retailers cost-effectively and flexibly. The scale of our tech platform means we can configure it for different markets.

For example, it’s optimised for UK train operators, selling to potential passengers whether they are browsing leisure trips while sat on the sofa or planning ahead for their next day’s commute. And our platform is equally optimised for Travel Management Companies, retailing to business travellers scheduling a business trip in the UK or Europe at their desk.

Whatever the journey, all the complicated calculations are kept behind the scenes, so the customer is simply presented with an attractive and easy buying experience.?

Trainline is embedded in the UK and European rail eco-system, and we want that whole eco-system to succeed. We’re using our tech to power more journeys, and to improve rail’s reach. Attracting more customers to UK and European rail is important for the financial health of the industry, and vital for the sustainability of our planet.?

That’s why we obsess about putting rail on the shelf, making sure it stands out, and promoting the industry’s product in the best way possible.?