Member Article

Travelers go digital for booking holidays

More than 90% of all domestic travel transactions in the UK are digitally influenced, according to new research.

In their annual Consumer Review, Deloitte found that more than 86% of foreign and 91% of internal journeys are made through direct online sales or multichannel transactions where consumers interact ith travel agencts, hotels or airlines across a number of touch points including stores, online, social media and smartphone apps.

Paul Feechan, consumer business partner at Deloitte Newcastle was impressed at the strong impact the internet has on consumer decisions.

He said: “It is significant factor across all sectors of the consumer economy, but travel is easily the most mature.

“Before the explosion of the digital marketplace, consumer engaged with businesses primarily through single channels and had limited access to information or opinions about the product or service, but now they are benefitting from higher levels of pre-transaction research and evaluation.

The research also showed that multichannel shoppers tended to spend more per transaction. On average, multichannel consumers spend £927 per overseas transaction and £498 per domestic purchase. By comparison, store only customers spent an average of £808 and £494 respectively for the same travel arrangements.

Mr Feechan added: “Consumers have embraced digital media and are increasingly confident about interacting and transacting online.

“Furthermore, the current economic climate is accelerating the rate at which consumers are adopting digital behaviors as they rebalance their spending and turn to digital solutions to seek out savings and value.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .