Last-Minute Deals: Why MakeMyTrip Fans Hold Out for Discounts
Retailers think price-sensitive customers plan ahead to chase the best deal. MakeMyTrip’s Abhishek Bhasin, Vice President, Head of Goibibo Marketing, proves the opposite.
In this 15-minute conversation, he unpacks how India’s largest travel platform engineered loyalty and lifetime value by designing for real behaviour, not assumptions, turning subtle pricing nudges and micro-personalisation into measurable conversion gains.
Watch the full interview with Abhishek Bhasin below.
Decoding the Micro-Moments That Convert
The Counter-Intuitive Truth About Price Sensitivity
MakeMyTrip's data shows that budget travellers book later than luxury ones, even when they're deal-seekers. Why? Lower price points reduce perceived risk and spontaneous plans dominate the use case.
"A friend get-together, a quick business trip - these decisions are impulsive," Bhasin notes.
💡 Retail takeaway: For cost-conscious customers, urgency often beats anticipation. Design real-time offers, not early-bird discounts.
Personalisation That Actually Moves Metrics
On MakeMyTrip's app, pricing nudges change by customer cohort. A no-cost EMI for aspirational shoppers. A value-add like executive-lounge access for high-net-worth users. Each micro-signal tells the customer: this brand understands me!
The result? Loyal users in MMT Black deliver higher repeat rates and stronger LTV-to-CAC ratios than regular customers without higher acquisition costs.
💡Retail takeaway: Personalisation isn't about segments. It's about contextual value at the exact decision moment.
First-Mover Advantage Still Wins
"It's difficult to replicate the might of being a first mover," says Bhasin. Every competitor has access to Google, Meta, and AI ad tools. What they don't have is years of brand memory built through consistent delivery.
💡 Retail takeaway: Technology parity doesn't erase trust. Brand equity compounds when value delivery is predictable, not sporadic.
Platform Grammar: Matching the Mood
"Instagram is a mood-uplifter," Bhasin explains. "Google is search. YouTube is storytelling." MakeMyTrip adapts creative for each platform's emotional state: light, uplifting content for Instagram, utility for Google, immersion for YouTube.
💡 Retail takeaway: Stop copy-pasting campaigns. Match message to mindset: the scroller, the searcher, the watcher.
The Cognitive Load Problem
Consumers have seconds of attention and zero patience for friction. Bhasin's team re-engineered app journeys to surface the right information at the right time, reducing effort and confusion.
💡 Retail takeaway: The smallest UX decisions; what shows first, what hides later, decides conversion more than the final discount.
The AI Features That Actually Solve Problems
MakeMyTrip's innovations prove that technology only matters when it reduces uncertainty:
- Price Lock: lets travellers secure fares in advance
- Trip Guarantee: uses machine learning to predict confirmed train routes
💡 Retail takeaway: Invest in AI that removes friction, not adds novelty.
Designing for Loyalty, Not Luck
Bhasin’s approach shows that long-term loyalty doesn’t come from louder ads or lower prices, it comes from consistent value, delivered intelligently across moments and platforms.
Watch the full interview with Abhishek Bhasin to see how MakeMyTrip designs for trust, agility, and lifetime value.