MADRID–(BUSINESS WIRE)–
A new industry study released today, Empowering inspiration: the
future of travel search, identifies trend-setting consumers’
behavior and motivations when shopping for travel online and identifies
their experience during the destination selection, shopping and booking
processes. The study also details the key trends and predictions for how
consumers want to be able to search for travel online in the future.
The Amadeus-commissioned study, conducted by travel industry research
authority PhoCusWright Inc., surveyed 4,638 travelers in the U.S., U.K.,
Germany, India, Russia and Brazil. In addition to consumer insights,
PhoCusWright conducted 18 executive interviews with thought leaders
around the world to gain industry perspective on where travel search is
headed.
Although the travelers under review are not representative of the
mainstream consumer, they have the most sophisticated shopping needs and
represent the early adopters whose current behaviors and preferences are
leading indicators of behavior in the future.
Key findings include but are not limited to:
The frustrations and pain points travelers face when planning and
booking travel
All consumers face frustrations during the destination, shopping and
booking process, however, those in emerging markets are more frustrated
than their developed counterparts. For example in the shopping process,
47% of U.S. travelers experience frustration online, compared to over
78% of Russian travelers. This is due to information overload and the
lack of confidence that they are getting a good deal.
New ways in which travelers would like to search for travel
In the developed markets, nearly 50% of travelers had a particular place
in mind, whereas in the emerging markets, it was only about a third of
travelers. Catering to these travelers is advantageous, as attracting
shoppers earlier in the purchase funnel broadens their audience and
reduces their reliance on search and referral traffic. Furthermore, more
than four in 10 travelers across the markets are flexible about travel
dates, thus tools that help determine where and which travel dates have
the lowest price have widespread appeal. It is time to think outside of
the traditional city pair/travel date box.
How travelers want to use mobile devices and social networks when
planning and sharing travel experiences
Three in 10 travelers in Europe currently have no interest in using
their mobile phones for travel-related activities, but U.S. consumers
show levels of interest comparable to emerging markets for mobile
features such as alerts, check-in, etc. Mobile device usage for travel
is more than twice as common in emerging markets, most notably in India,
where nearly 24% of travelers research destinations online on their
phones.
Looking ahead, the report also looks at how new technologies may
change travel planning in the future, including but not limited to:
-
The truly private ¨private sale¨: Marketplaces
around the world have been flooded with promotions, deals, and now
flash sale brands that tout discounts with no context of
whether an individual would be interested in the product. As consumer
segmentation and behavioral targeting to consumers becomes more
sophisticated, sellers will be able to microtarget promotions to
specific consumers, offering products that are actually relevant for
the buyer. -
Cumulative ¨intelligence¨: With hundreds of
options, online shoppers are overloaded. Eventually, programs will
learn from an individual’s behavior over time by observing and
aggregating common patterns. Microsegmentation will help companies
analyze behavior and deliver increasingly intelligent results. -
Smart systems and virtual private assistant: Devices
will become smart and interconnected, and will store and make sense of
information consumers look at. The program will recognize and process
inputs from the sites consumers visit and what they do on them, and
will act as an assistant on the consumer’s behalf.
Stephane Durand, Director, Online Leisure, Amadeus, said,
“Amadeus commissioned this study to understand how consumers will search
for travel in the future. To effectively support our customers, we need
to understand the developments that look set to affect both the future
of travel search and the success of travel sellers’ business. Today, we
stand at the forefront of a technological evolution in travel that we
refer to as Online Travel 3.0 which recognizes the power shift from
suppliers to retailers and to end consumers.”
Durand continued, “There are clear opportunities for travel
sellers to inspire and convert consumers while alleviating degrees of
frustrations along the way. For example, the use of advanced destination
selection and content customization tools to attract and inspire
consumers earlier in the travel planning process is key to gaining
competitive edge in the years ahead.”
Carroll Rheem, Director of Research, PhoCusWright, said, “Megabrands…are
applying enormous talent and imagination towards solving traveler
problems. It is mission critical for all travel retailers…to understand
and adapt to how consumers want to make travel decisions, not
just how they have made them in the past. This study [illuminates] the
things companies can’t see in their clickstream and conversion –
desirable elements their websites currently lack.”
To download a copy of the Empowering Inspiration: The future of
travel search study, and to register to attend the webinar in
partnership with PhoCusWright, please visit www.amadeus.com/onlinetravelsearch.
Notes to the editors
Amadeus is a leading transaction processor and provider of
advanced technology solutions for the global travel and tourism industry.
Customer groups include travel providers (e.g. airlines, hotels,
rail, ferries, etc.), travel sellers (travel agencies and
websites), and travel buyers (corporations and individual
travellers).
The group operates a transaction-based business model and
processed 850 million billable travel transactions in 2010.
Amadeus has central sites in Madrid (corporate headquarters), Nice
(development) and Erding (Operations – data processing centre) and
regional offices in Miami, Buenos Aires, Bangkok and Dubai. At a market
level, Amadeus maintains customer operations through 73 local Amadeus
Commercial Organisations covering 195 countries.
Amadeus is listed on the Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao and Valencia stock
exchanges and trades under the symbol “AMS.MC”. For the year ended 31
December 2010, the company reported revenues of EUR 2,683 million and
EBITDA of EUR 1,015 million. The Amadeus group employs around 10,000
people worldwide, with 123 nationalities represented at the central
offices. To find out more about Amadeus please visit www.amadeus.com.
To visit the Amadeus Investor Relations centre please visit www.investors.amadeus.com.
Article source: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/amadeus-commissioned-global-study-identifies-151600285.html