New research from Expedia Group sheds light on the travel content consumption habits of travellers as they plan and book their trips.
The research, which spanned seven countries and focused on traveller preferences and behaviours throughout the online shopping journey, found that travellers spend an average of 303 minutes (over 5 hours) engaging with travel content in the 45 days leading up to booking their trip.
On average, travellers view 141 pages of travel content prior to booking a trip — and as high as 277 pages for travellers in the U.S. — with these page views distributed throughout their path to purchase. The research shows that the number of page views is more spread out in the early planning stages, with approximately 2.5 page views per day. However, this number increases in the days just before booking, reaching 25 page views on the day of purchase.
“The traveller path to purchase is often complex, and full of twists and turns. This research highlights just how much thought and consideration travellers put into planning a trip in the weeks leading up to booking, as they seek to niche and refine their choices. This means there are many opportunities to connect with travellers before they make their decisions, underlining the importance of partnership, given that it’s essential to show up across multiple touchpoints and beyond your owned brand channels, as frequently as possible along this path," said Cheryl Miller, SVP and CMO, Expedia for Business.
The study also highlighted the top resources travellers use in the 45 days before booking a trip. Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) were the most popular, utilized by 80 per cent of the surveyed travellers. Search engines, social media, airline websites, and meta-travel websites were also among the top five resources used.
Interestingly, most travellers start their planning process without a specific destination in mind. Over half (59 per cent) of travellers surveyed either had no particular destination in mind or considered multiple destinations when they decided to take a trip.
The survey also revealed that social media plays a significant role in influencing travel decisions.
About 77 per cent of travellers use social media for inspiration during their path to purchase. Advertising also plays a part in swaying travel choices, with 19 per cent of travellers stating that advertisements influenced their decision to book a trip. Vacation rental guests (26 per cent) and hotel guests (22 per cent) are even more likely to be influenced by advertising.
"By providing actionable insights to help reach, inspire, and engage travellers during their path to purchase, we’re pleased to provide B2B travel partners with the tools required to convert their guests and customers," said Miller.
The full report can be accessed here.
