Customers prefer shopping in every other retail sector over travel, new independent research commissioned by Travelport claims.
The global study suggests “multiple gaps” that explain a lack in trust customers have in travel retailers – namely the lack of simplified and intuitive experiences, easy support and transparency.
The findings show that:
- 93% of consumers say the best retailers make it easy to find the products they want
- 59% of consumers say that getting exactly what they want is more important than how much they pay for it
- 83% of younger consumers aged 18-41 want more human-led customer support
- 60% of consumers say they would take longer transport routes to their destination and 49% would choose to spend more to save on carbon (CO2) emissions when travelling.
The ‘What Consumers Want’ research sample consisted of 2,000 consumers from Australia, Colombia, Saudi Arabia, UK and US, and claimed that customers want the travel industry to “get modern”.
The study confirmed consumers spend more time online searching rather than buying – consulting reviews, seeking recommendations, and looking into other factors of what an offer includes.
The majority (69%) research a purchase online daily or weekly, with very few (2%) stating that they never research a purchase online.
Travelport also found that almost all consumers (93%) believe that the best modern retailers make it easy for them to find exactly what they want.
With various options available for every aspect of a trip, this is particularly crucial for travel retailers.
“Full transparency is what most consumers (90%) desire most, meaning modern retailers must share full product information upfront in order to help consumers save time and gain confidence in their purchases,” the report said.
“Doing so will pay off for retailers. In fact, most respondents (59%) said that getting exactly what they want is more important than how much they pay for it.”
More than 80% of younger consumers aged 18-41 actually want morehuman support than those 42 and above.
Climate change and sustainability are top of mind for consumers, especially those with a passion for travel.
Nearly half (49%) would choose to spend more and 60% would take longer, indirect transport routes to their destination to save on carbon emissions when travelling.
This varies by age group, as the study results show (33%) of consumers aged 18-41 would travel 2-3 hours longer to save on CO2 emissions, compared to only (19%) of consumers aged 42 and older.
Travelport chief marketing officer Jen Catto said: “The travel industry is poised to build on the goodwill it earned during the pandemic by getting modern and giving consumers the simple, easy and supportive experience they expect.
“According to new research commissioned by Travelport, customers prefer shopping in every other retailing sector over travel.
“Now that the industry is recovering, there is an enormous opportunity for travel brands to reinvest in their customer experiences, earning them customer loyalty while increasing their revenue simultaneously. It’s a win-win.”