Travellers keep multiple devices handy

A new Signal survey reveals that almost half of all consumers use two or more devices when booking and planning travel.

The organisation surveyed 500 Australians to determine how travel suppliers can best create cross-channel experiences and engage travellers.

"Travelers are more digital than ever. They're using multiple screens to make informed decisions about high-consideration travel purchases — comparing prices, booking tickets and accommodation, and even making upgrades or additional purchases after they book," said Warren Billington, Signal managing director of Australia, New Zealand, and Southeast Asia.

"This means the pressure is on for travel suppliers to recognise travellers as they move across devices and create seamless, one-to-one experiences. However, there's a huge opportunity to use the rich customer data available to travel marketers to deliver superior experiences."

The vast majority of consumers who have taken a trip in the past year have booked their travel using a computer, tablet or smartphone. 42% of travellers used their smartphones for planning and booking airline tickets and hotel rooms. 23% reported that smartphones were their preferred device for planning trips.

Millennials aged 18–34 are five times more likely than baby boomers to plan and book air travel and hotel rooms on their smartphones. In addition, 73% of millennials use multiple devices when planning and booking, compared with just 30% of baby boomers.

Another key finding by the survey was that consumers would like to see more relevant advertising from airlines and hotels. 31% of respondents reported that this is the main thing travel suppliers can improve on, with 30% saying it would be better to receive personalised offers on travel.

In addition, after booking, 58% of consumers will travel with two or more connected devices.

Signal recommends that travel marketers leverage customer data to understand the cross-device journey. This is a particularly important consideration, as more people have planned or booked travel online than have browsed online retail sites (73%) or bought clothing/shoes/accessories online (66%). By unifying all data into a cohesive customer view, travel marketers will be well positioned to understand and respond to each individual.

Linking data to customer profiles that persist over time also means that travel suppliers can provide the most relevant messages in real time and engage in ongoing, cross-channel conversations to build brand loyalty.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/Sdecoret