A major study of search and booking behaviour has found that applications come second best when it comes to how consumers access travel information on devices.
The Expedia Media Solutions examination of consumer habits in the UK found 92% of tablet users favoured mobile websites compared to apps.
The world of apps have a better showing on smartphones but are still not the primary method at 47%.
Some of the headline findings from the report include:
Three out of four digital UK users are regularly consuming travel content.
Some 2.4 billion minutes is spent every year in the UK on digital travel content, an increase of 44% between 2014 and 2015 (one billion of those minutes are on a mobile device).
The ease in which travellers move between devices is coming to the fore with 49% claiming they use both mobile and desktop for finding travel information last year, compared to 34% the previous year. Desktop-only was 21% and mobile-only 28%.
Interestingly, online travel agencies have the worst performing apps in the industry, in terms of their use for finding travel information.
EMS also found that consumers a reasonably agnostic when it comes to sources of product, with OTAs and supplier websites used alongside friends and family for recommendations and ideas.
Meanwhile, just 13% of online travel bookers used social media in their travel research process.
Finally, the study found that on average there were 121 visits to travel sites made over 45 days before a booking took place.
This broke down as the following visits per week before booking:
- Week 6 - 8.8
- Week 5 - 15.2
- Week 4 - 16.2
- Week 3 - 17.2
- Week 2 - 17.2
- Week 1 - 19.4
- Week of booking - 26.7
A similar study on the path-to-purchase is expected for the US and Canada in a few months.
NB: The full study is available here.