Generation Z travelers are looking for mobile apps and services to help them budget and plan trips as well as to organize and share their experiences on return.
That might seem ironic given the number of trip inspiration and planning and travel journal and sharing apps and services that have gone by the wayside in recent years.
But research from Adobe, which surveyed about 900 U.S. travelers as well as carried out quantitative research, reveals that 55% of the cohort want these sorts of apps and services to help them budget for their trips: 46% to book, track and manage the full trip and 45% to capture and organize those trips.
Future potential services that could be offered to the group include mobile ordering of in-room food from local restaurants and a similar service for in-flight extras.
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Julie Hoffmann, head of industry strategy and market for travel and hospitality at Adobe, says:
"They have a propensity in wanting new services from travel companies to support the entire trip process and especially post-trip and being able to capture photo and video moments."
Further insight from Adobe reveals that Gen Z - those born between roughly 1995 and 2005 - view themselves as budget conscious as well as adventure seeking travelers, even more so than other generations.
For travel marketers this means having to target the price sensitive category with appealing experiences.
The research also throws up some interesting findings around targeted offers, revealing that it’s less about personalization currently and more about “in the moment” location-based discounts for 46% and location-based activity suggestions for 51%.
Hoffmann says that data-driven marketing is going to evolve because the group sees travel as a "series of decisions" and they are willing to make those decisions throughout the trip.
She adds that travel companies reliant on legacy systems often lack the ability to pick up on the vital data signals needed to target upcoming generations.
Device usage among Gen Z travelers is also interesting and reveals them turning to desktop computers for pre-trip and post-trip activities more than Gen X, boomers and millennials.
Hoffmann says:
“The pivot away from phone and tablet is driven by their desire to be immersed in what they are going to be experiencing.”
This could be influenced by the fact that many are still traveling with family and using the bank of mum and dad as supported by similar recent research on the Gen Z cohort by Expedia Group Media Solutions.
Their use of apps increases over the course of a trip from almost 7% pre-trip to 10.3% during the trip and 12.5% post-trip.
One final element for marketers to scratch their heads over is differences around loyalty, with 45% and 60% of boomers signed up to the top airline and hotel loyalty programs, respectively, compared to only 15% and 25% of the Gen Z cohort.
Hoffmann says that Adobe believes the next wave of development will be around how to gain the loyalty of this group by providing them with relevant services.