New VOC research from Answers.com finds price remains priority as cost-conscious travelers compare four to six sites before booking.
ANN ARBOR, MI – Answers Corporation, owner of the leading Internet brand Answers.com and a premier provider of cloud-based voice of customer (VOC) solutions including ForeSee, released customer experience insights amassed from thousands of surveys and consumer behavior touchpoints with global travel brands. ForeSee’s predictive customer experience analytics model crunched the data to reveal the key factors contributing to summer travel planning, such as research habits and channel and price preferences.
With the summer season underway, Answers found consumers have been getting organized with advance planning – even when booking excursions – as far as 90 days ahead. Overwhelmingly, travelers preferred researching via desktop over mobile, relying on brands to provide tools to help customers discover and design their ideal journeys. Further, trip personalization trumped favorite destination and price point in terms of influence, meaning travelers have an appetite for vacations that meet certain needs or desires more than other factors.
- Winter Woes Means Summer Fun: 92 percent of consumers book their summer vacations at least one month in advance and 57 percent schedule travel more than four months ahead of their intended departure date.
- Desktop Remains King: 65 percent of vacationers prefer using a desktop computer for purchasing travel, with travel agencies and other brick-and-mortar booking services finishing a distant second at 16 percent. Mobile devices accounted for just two percent.
- Summer Travel Gets Personal: The most influential factor in booking summer travel is finding a vacation spot tailored to meet consumers’ needs (21 percent), followed by favorite destination (19 percent) and price (17 percent).
- Cost-Conscious Millennials Stay Local: Millennials are the least likely to take a summer vacation with 26 percent respondents saying they will stay put. For those in this segment who decide to get away, cost (33 percent) is the most important factor.
“With the unofficial halfway point for summer behind us, travel brands have just a few weeks left to create a consumer experience that will close sales, and understanding the motivations behind purchase decisions will be critical in achieving that success,” said Bharati Hulbanni, Senior Manager, Client Services, ForeSee by Answers. “While price was a top consideration, more consumers are seeking personalized vacations designed to meet their needs. Brands who offer vacationers the digital tools to easily customize trips, offering a seamless desktop-to-mobile experience that accounts for habits such as checking for flight delays on smartphones, stand to capitalize on the remaining summer travel season.”
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.
