Newly released results from a study commissioned by Moxie Software reveal that 60 percent of Americans expect to book travel online in 2015 and that nearly half of those, 45 percent, would book travel online more often if companies offered assistance on their websites.
Harris Poll conducted the online study in December 2014 on behalf of Moxie and surveyed more than 2,000 online U.S. adults about their actions, attitudes, and opinions. The study data sheds light on consumers’ needs for proactive engagement and assistance when making travel arrangements online.
For instance, the study shows that 70 percent of Americans who booked travel online in the past 12 months believe that having the option to connect with a company representative via live chat would be more personal and effective when trying to complete a travel specific task.
Moxie’s travel study also identified that nearly three quarters, or 73 percent, of U.S. adults online would find it helpful if a brand proactively engages with them when they are struggling on a website (e.g. error message on a payment/checkout page). This preference for assistance was found across adult age groups with younger adults age 18-34 (79 percent), adults age 35-54 (71 percent), and adults age 65 and older (67 percent) all demonstrating the preference.
“People of all ages are turning, in increasing numbers, to the web when researching holiday destinations and making bookings,” said Suzy Epps, Head of Travel IT for Saga plc, which offers an array of products and services exclusively for the over 50’s including Holidays, Insurance and the UK’s best-selling monthly magazine. “To complement our online experience, we need technologies that help us deliver exceptional levels of customer service and engagement. Moxie Live Chat has helped us enhance our customers’ online experience.”
The need for contextual engagement online
Businesses that address customers’ desire for better online engagement stand to benefit. Moxie’s study highlighted that 60 percent of U.S. adults online would do more business with a company that tailored online communication to them personally/their needs. This idea is most agreeable to younger adults age 18-34 (77 percent vs. 60 percent of those age 35-54, 52 percent of those age 55-64 and 44 percent of those age 65 and older), and especially to men in this age group (84 percent vs. 66 percent of women age 18-34).
Additionally, 54 percent of U.S. adults online would find it helpful if useful information presented itself to them based on what they are doing on a website especially if they ran into a problem while booking travel online. Those age 18-34 are more likely to consider it helpful if useful information presents itself to them based on what they are doing online than those age 35-54 (60 percent vs. 50 percent, respectively).
Mobile device usage on the rise for travel bookings
No longer tied to a desktop, travelers are using mobile devices now more than ever to research, explore, plan and book their next vacation. According to the 2014 Traveler Technology Survey by Phocuswright, 70 percent of US travelers have used their mobile device in the past 12 months to pick a destination, shop for travel arrangements, or book their trip. This represents a 47 percent rise over 2013 which indicates travelers are becoming more adept and comfortable with using their mobile devices and tablets to shop for and book their next trip.
Moxie’s study also indicated companies will need to bolster their online customer engagement with mobile friendly communication channels including self-service, email and chat to meet the needs of consumers who embrace mobile technology yet still want or need assistance immediately.
“When booking travel online, consumers – many of whom are on their mobile devices, are required to think and act as travel agents, understanding price options, cancellation policies, etc., with no assistance,” said Rebecca Ward, president and CEO of Moxie. “Using digital engagement, our customers have been able to increase conversion rates and customer satisfaction by ‘staffing’ their websites and mobile stores.”
Survey methodology
The survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Poll on behalf of Moxie from December 1-3, 2014 among 2,019 adults ages 18 and older. The online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables, please contact Erin Walsh at ewalsh@gomoxie.com.
