One of the biggest challenges travel brands face is shopping cart abandonment.
This is particularly true for online travel agencies.
According to the latest Travelport research, 64% of travelers who have researched a trip with an OTA, but did not go on to book, say they prefer to book with suppliers (e.g. airlines, hotels, car rental companies). So where are OTAs going wrong?
Travelers have hundreds of options when it comes to searching and booking — online travel agencies, airlines, hotel websites, car rental companies, metasearch, search engines, even social media channels.
This growing competition in the online travel space puts OTAs under pressure to show travelers the added value they bring beyond price.
For OTAs to optimize conversions, they must shift their focus from ‘getting the booking’ to looking at the entire traveler journey: inspiration, shopping, booking, pre-trip, in-trip, and post-trip.
At every step, OTAs have an opportunity to add value, engage with customers, and increase revenue opportunities beyond flight bookings.
Here, we’ll look at each stage of the journey to show how your OTA can optimize conversions and open up new revenue streams at every touchpoint.