Consumers are eager to use smartphones to book and are increasingly trusting devices to complete these transactions. According to the latest report on mobile bookings by L2 Think Tank, hotels are benefiting from the growing hunger to book via mobile.
Some stats the report highlights:
As per usual in previous reports, this particular report is limited to what the consultancy calls its "Prestige Hotels."
The surveyed hotels have the following means of making mobile bookings:
Yet seventy percent of customers prefer to book via mobile site compared with applications, which means that brands must also consider how this experience informs the customer's preference.
The report offers up a country-by-country breakdown:
Beyond learning the existing landscape, and areas for potential improvement, the most interesting portion of the report related to the number of clicks required to complete a purchase. Amazon has long promoted the "1-Click" experience, realizing that reduced friction is key to success for mobile transactions.
In the US, here's how the overall click scenario plays out when comparing mobile to desktop site on average. It's important to note here that the majority of brands have more clicks to complete on mobile than desktop (!!!). And on 10% of the mobile sites, guests are not able to book whatsoever!
The brands below clearly have some work to do as far as streamlining mobile booking for consumers. Until the number of clicks drops below three, consumers will continue to be reluctant to go through the process to complete the booking.
Following on from that click analysis, the report drills down into the overall feature set from a variety of travel brands. By checking out the features of the various competing platforms - including P2P rentals like Airbnb - the report reminds hotels that the competitive set is much more than just other hotel brands.
Larger image here.
The bar is set by the travel industry as a whole, because when a consumer becomes accustomed to expanded functionality, it is a must-have across the board.
Download the full report here, which breaks down the mobile, tablet and mobile site experience across brands.
NB: Cold hard cash image courtesy Shutterstock.