NB: This is a viewpoint by Alexandra Arguelles, vice president for online account management and consulting services for Amadeus in North America.
Many people fondly reminisce about "the good old days". But for online travel, that could be considered a time when consumers were relegated to search and shopping options mainly based on entering city pairs.
We’ve come a long way since those early days but recent research tells us that travelers still continue to be frustrated when searching and buying their travel online.
Last year in an Amadeus study, seven out of ten travelers said they were frustrated when booking online. Among their biggest pain points: difficulty of content aggregation and information overload.
And although significant strides have been made in online search and shopping in the past decade or so, the focus has primarily been on getting the basics right -- providing the traveler with a wide selection of content, acceptable response time, accuracy of information and the cheapest fare.
Also complicating the online travel evolution were technological limitations which dictated the way websites were built.
This meant the online retail experience couldn’t necessarily take into account the needs and wants of a traveler and, in many cases, did not reflect the manner in which a traveler might naturally plan and book their trip.
But it’s time to welcome new options in online travel retailing, thanks to technology advancements and new approaches being developed by innovative players in the online travel space.
So what factors are playing a part in shaping the new world of online search and shopping? Here are a few to consider:
1. More willing to give to get
Personalization has been an ongoing focus but now it is more relevant and critical than ever.
Previously consumers did not want to enter significant personal or profile information on a travel website. They just wanted to look, book and be done. Now people are more willing to log-in and provide detailed information if in return they get a more tailored online experience.
Their expectation is:
"You know me now. Make my shopping experience as easy and relevant as possible."
2. Getting to (really, really) know you
Travel preferences and behaviors are now only part of what’s factored in when it comes to delivering a personalized retail experience.
From Big Data to Little Data, new sources of information are now being introduced into the search and shopping equation.
From social data to crowdsourcing to overall retail history, online players are harnessing available consumer information to create new search and shopping paradigms and therefore online travel shopping experiences that are more relevant and personal than ever.
3. Retailing on the run
There’s no doubt that mobile devices are here to stay and their development and use continue to grow exponentially.
A recent Cisco report indicates that by the end of 2013, the number of mobile-connected devices will exceed the number of people on earth, and by 2017 there will be nearly 1.4 mobile devices per capita.
So the search and shopping experience will need to continue to adapt to these new screens and deliver an optimal experience across a variety of mobile devices. And people want seamlessness across these devices.
As an industry we need to anticipate which channels consumers are headed to next and be able to adapt their retail experience accordingly. But no matter the website, channel or app, you can be sure the access will be mobile.
What’s your view?
NB: This is a viewpoint by Alexandra Arguelles, vice president for online account management and consulting services for Amadeus in North America.
NB2: Arguelles will be discussing the issues raised in the article and more in a Tnooz-Amadeus webinar on Tuesday 14 May. Register here.
NB3: Global routes image via Shutterstock.