Boosting customized and personalized interactive livestreaming experiences. Is Amazon Explore competing or complementing the hospitality industry?

Abstract

Purpose Following the changes in consumer behavior in the hospitality industry due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Amazon launched “Explore”, an interactive livestreaming customized service that connects users with hosts worldwide, allowing them to discover a vast array of experiences from the comfort of their homes. This study aims to assess the effects of Explore on the hospitality and tourism industries. Design/methodology/approach An exploratory qualitative approach was adopted. Data was collected from 18 expert interviews and 292 online reviews on Explore. Findings The findings indicate that the pandemic has altered consumer behavior when it comes to experience-related venues. Within that shift, Explore was shown to have reinvented the travel industry. The major three themes extracted revolved around the following: replica of real-life touristic experiences (having the experience as if consumers were physically present), experience-bound versus output-oriented customers (those who want to explore the real experience by being physically present versus those who seek to discover a certain culture or acquire a new skill even virtually) and post-virtual experience (effects on the hospitality industry). Originality/value The study puts forth the coopetition that could emanate from the inter-relationship between the Amazon Explore platform and the hospitality industry if the two were to cooperate even beyond the context of global pandemics. Indeed, Explore has gained awareness and trial and could be a sustainable ongoing business, especially among those with financial and other types of limitations that could hinder their traveling propensity.