Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast: Episode 34 – How People Use their Phones for Travel According to Google
In this episode of the Fuel Hotel Marketing Podcast, we discuss a survey conducted by Google via Ipsos in October 2016 to US smartphone users age 18-64. The study had some really interesting data and we dig through it and give you some insight into what it means for you and your hotel.
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Show Notes:
“I want to go moments”
51% of smartphone owners use their device for travel-related activities
Top 3 answers:
- 44% looked for discounts or offers
- 35% looked at things to do/tourist information before visiting
- 32% looked at things to do/tourist information while visiting
Accommodation-specific answers
- 25% looked at accommodations options
- 22% checked into flight or accommodation
- 20% booked an accommodation
- 14% made a last-minute booking
App discovery
To discover new travel apps, people turn most to friends, family and app stores:
- 35% friends/family are using them
- 35% browsed app stores
- 31% saw an ad while browsing the web
- 11% business informed me directly about their app
Top Reasons for Downloading a Travel App
Ease of use it top of mind:
- 36% to make a specific activity/task easier AND
- 13% activity unavailable on the mobile website
- 32% recommended by others
- 32% to access discounts or offers
- 20% to complete a purchase
- 19% got a specific reward for downloading the app
Free vs. Paid Apps
82% have never paid for a travel app. For those that did (survey includes 92 respondents), top reasons:
- 44% had the content I wanted
- 40% app had good reviews
- 39% offered functionality unavailable on free versions
- 35% wanted ad-free
- 30% exclusive deals/discounts offered
App Usage Frequency
On average, users have 2.3 travel apps installed, and 58% of those apps are used at least monthly
- 25% have 3+ apps
- 24% have 2 apps
- 25% have 1 app
- 26% have no app
- 12% use daily
- 28% use weekly
- 58% use monthly
- 10% use never
Mobile Site vs. Travel App?
More people turn to mobile sites for travel than apps, but each has a role to play
Top reasons for app vs. mobile site:
- 60% use a loyalty program
- 58% digital ticket/boarding pass
- 49% check into flight or accommodation
- 41% book accommodation vs. 38% preferred mobile site
Top reasons for mobile site vs. app:
- 47% look at things to do/tourist info before visiting vs. 31% on app
- 45% make a last-minute booking vs. 34% on app
- 44% look at flight options vs. 37% on app
- 42% look for accommodations options vs. 36% for mobile site
App features:
The apps they love most are easy to use and navigate
- 58% easy to use and navigate
- 36% have good discounts or offers
- 31% receive useful notifications from them
Features that users find most valuable:
- 64% wide range of features
- 62% stores preferences to make future activities easier
- 59% requires sign in for security
- 58% uses location for personalized experience
- 34% stores credit card/billing info to make future purchases faster
Push Notifications:
If they provide value, push notifications aren’t a turnoff.
87% find notifications useful.
Most useful types of notifications:
- 45% Trip status
- 44% New discount or offer
- 38% reminder of a booking/purchase in progress
Reasons Travelers Stop Using Apps:
Top personal reasons:
- 30% needed to free up memory
- 29% no longer had a need for that app
- WHY?
- 48% using for one-off trip
- 42% other apps covered travel needs
- 28% no longer customer of company
Top App-related reasons:
- 27% taking up a lot of memory
- 20% wasn’t easy to use
- 19% too many ads
- 17% receiving too many notifications
Why Users Re-engage
- 27% app uses less memory
- 26% app was redesigned for easier use
- 25% discount on next purchase
- 24% exclusive or bonus offers or products
Fuel will be Speaking at the December HSMAI lunch → Digital Trends for 2017
- Wednesday, December 14th
- Ocean Creek Resort in Myrtle Beac
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In the News
Expedia Publishes the Bleisure Traveler Profile:
https://www.tnooz.com/article/expedia-media-solutions-tracks-bleisure-travel/
https://info.advertising.expedia.com/custom-research-bleisure-travel-market
Unbounce stopped producing content for 2 weeks, produced 700 new leads
http://unbounce.com/landing-pages/unbounce-content-publishing-hiatus-results/
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Download the Fuel Leisure Travel Study at www.fueltravel.com/study
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Follow Us on Twitter:
@_travelboom
@stuartbutler
@makavanagh
@marketingmeisha
Submit your questions and topic ideas on Twitter to @_travelboom. Download our leisure travel study at www.fueltravel.com/study/.
