Cultural differences in mobile attitudes were strongly apparent and serve to highlight that a ‘one size fits’ all approach is unlikely to work across Europe.
LONDON – WTM 2012 – REPORT: 47% of travel suppliers and 53% of online travel agents plan to increase their mobile spend over the next 3 months according to a recent EyeforTravel study. A good start but according to EyeforTravel’s GM, Gina Baillie this is not enough. According to recently released figures from Google, mobile devices (phone and tablets) already account for over 19% of travel queries and this figure is set to increase globally in 2013.
EyeforTravel’s June 2012 study found that 54% of intermediaries and 50% of suppliers said that they still did not have a mobile version of their website.
“The fact is the travel consumer wants to access your brand via a mobile device and if you’re not mobile ready then you can guarantee your competitor will be”.
Whilst actual mobile bookings remain low, the study found that mobile devices are playing an important role in the consumer path to purchase. In the survey, 41% of travel consumers consulted travel websites via mobile devices at the research stage and then later booked via a desktop.
Using a mobile device for travel information was important to many of the travel consumers in the 5 countries surveyed. In the UK, 45% of travel consumers stated that they wanted to receive travel information via their smartphone, and 46% want to use a smartphone to get information on local activities. Map functions were also key with 47% of consumers stating they would like to interact with travel brands who offered map functions via smartphones.
Consumers in Germany were the most likely to purchase travel via a smartphone with 18% stating they would use a mobile device to purchase a travel product up to any value.
Dutch consumers were the most averse to booking via a smartphone with 50% stating they would not use a smartphone to book travel.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
