It’s time.

I do love the new year predictions. John, especially, is very insightful about the big half a’ dozen. Ditto, perhaps . . . .

There are better speculators than I, so I want to focus instead on the basics I think we still need out there. So many good new sites and apps–so much potential. Here is a shortlist of what I would love to see more of in 2008:

1. More and better search filters.  Farecast and Kayak are leading the way in controlled advanced searching based on customer needs: I can filter my initial results by time, by date, and a host of other options. I don’t have to go to a separate “Advanced Search” tab and have to enter in all of my terms again. And the UI is GOOD. I used to think that the advanced search on Epicurious was the best–and it is still quite good–but how much more I would love to have all of those refinement options–bake, roast, course, main ingredient, season–available in a sidebar inline with my initial results. Apply this wish liberally to other sites . . . . It’s mind blowing that major search engines are willing to tell me that there are 1.66 billion results for “travel” but they don’t let me use the keyword information they own and operate to filter those results based on my interests–and keep me from the long tail that might be exactly where I want to be.

2. Upsell me. I had the best experience over at the British Airways site the other day. I was selecting a trip for a summer trip for the family, and BA kindly gave me the option to pay $400 extra to give everyone seven inches more space in upgraded Economy for the Seattle-London leg, plus plugs for our laptops. Done and done.  Would I pay extra to upgrade the family to business class on the Seattle-London leg? Of course I would.

3. Focus on our long-term relationship.  A few months ago, I bought a premium mattress set online at Costco. There is no connection to this transaction and my weekly encounters with the brick and mortar store. Might I need other items to go with the mattress–such as comforters and sheets? Would I use a spot coupon if presented with it next time I came into the store and presented my card? Yes and yes. Today, Costco and many other places don’t give me the chance to remind them of the type of customer I am and what I need. This needs to change.

4. Ask. And tell.  Sites like Amazon have been recommending related products for years based on what you’ve bought. They have started to tell me what the recommendations are based on (e.g. a knitting book sent to my aunt in 2003) so I can refine them. My ask to sites and advertisers: please let me help you. Always tell me what you’re targeting offers on, and let me refine the triggers. Ad servers take note: asking me to refine the ads you’re serving is a win 3x for advertisers, you, and me. 

5. Give me a personal assistant. TripIt is great: forward your confirmed hotel, air, and rental car reservations, and the site will create an elegant itinerary for you to manage each move.  I need this 20x over–tell me where I should go on vacation next, based on my last few vacations. Let me export all of my Internet purchases and, for example, track and report on my packages during the holidays and let me know what’s gone awry. Then, offer coupons, upsells, and cross-sells to other products I might like. Tell me about my investments–based on the last two homes I’ve bought, what would be a good next home for me–in various cities? What are the stocks I should buy based on the stocks I have? The variations are endless, and so needed.

What else are you looking for? Despite predictions that a bubble will burst, it seems that we’ve barely combined soap and water.