The Evolving Travel Shopping Journey: Searching for Travel Inspiration

The Evolving Travel Shopping Journey

October 27, 2016 #EvolvingTravel

and Its Impact on Direct Bookings

Housekeeping

Darlene RondeauVP, Best Practices, Online Merchandising, Leonardodarlene.rondeau@leonardo.com

Follow:

@VFMLeonardo

Tweets & Questions:

#EvolvingTravel

Tech Support:marketing@leonardoworldwide.com

Meet Our Speakers

Chris BlaineVP, Sales & Account ManagementSojern

Ed St. OngePresidentFlip.to

Ellis ConnollyChief Revenue OfficerTrustYou

Charlie OsmondChief TeaseTriptease

David ChestlerEVP Global Enterprise Sales & Business DevelopmentSiteMinder

Joey EganVP, MarketingLeonardo

The Travel Shopper’s Journey Travel industry has one of the most

complex digital landscapes

3 phases of the shopping journey:

Today we’ll look at 7 phases of the shopping journey – Inspiration, Research, Planning, Validation, Booking, Travel & Sharing

Source: Millward Brown Digital on behalf of Expedia MediaSolutions, 2016

Share of Influence During Each Phase of the Travel Shopping Journey

A World of Pure Imagination: Searching for Travel Inspiration

11:15AM – 11:45AM ET #EvolvingTravelKurt Weinsheimer, SVP Property Solutions, SojernEd St. Onge, President, Flip.to

The Undecided Traveler

of leisure travelers haven’t decided on a specific destination

1/3of leisure travelers haven’t chosen the accommodation provider they

will book with

82%of travelers more likely to book with

brand that provides relevant destination information

67%

Source: Google, 2016

Searching To Be Inspired

Over

YouTube visitors/month are travelers

100 million

Source: Google, 2014 and 2016

Driving Direct: Identify and Targeting Travelers

Chris BlaineVP, Sales & Account Management, Sojern

Click to add Image (optional)

On average, on any given night, only 15% — 25% of guests at a typical independent hotel are repeat guests,the rest are first-time guests.

- Hebs Digital

It’s Hard for Travelers…

The average number of sites a traveler visits before booking their trip

How much MORE time a traveler spends deciding on a hotel than booking a flight.

The percentage of people who are frustrated with the amount of time and effort required to plan a trip.

We know, everyone struggles to prove the value of branding here.

We also know, thateveryone wants to win here.

And finally, we know that isWhere hotel suppliers can

Can dominate the experience.

Post HolidayExperiencePurchaseResearchInspiration

The Customer Journey Looks Linear, But Isn’t

Mobile overtook Desktop last Christmas and is forecast to reach over 45% of Queries this Summer and to overcome Desktop early next year

• 50% of Mobile Queries last Christmas

• Mobile forecast to grow at 30%

• Mobile Share expected to reach 45% over the Summer

• Mobile to overcome Desktop next yearNote: Based on Accommodation Queries in the UK. “The forecasting result generated is a prediction based on historic trends by applying a mathematical algorithm, and therefore does not reflect actual trends in the future [source: Google]

[source: Google]

46% of mobile travellers make booking decisions on but complete on another device.

Mobile is used throughout the traveler decision journey

So, how do I reach the right customer at the right time with the right message?

Many consumers aren’t brand committed

[source: Google]

of smartphone users have discovered a new company or product when conducting a search on their smartphones

smartphone users have purchased from a company or brand other than the one they were seeking because of information provided in the moment they needed it.

Showing up in mobile search ad results can increase unaided brand awareness by an impressive 6.9 percentage points, or 46%

You get a shot at yourcompetitor’s customers

Being there drivesbrand awareness

You Can Only Win if You Show Up

Tools to Reach Travelers Online

OTA / MetaSearch Display

Programmatic Display AdvertisingBidding on an impression in

real time to show one specific ad to one consumer in

one specific context at

the right time $22 BILLION

2016 ad spend on Programmatic

Then: Content-based Online Advertising

You used to advertise on websites you thought your customer might visit. Much like billboards, you hoped your customers would be one of the millions to see it.

Using programmatic ad serving platforms and real-time bidding, you now find and target highly relevant audiences when and where they are online.

300x250

160X

600

1200x627

600x315

300 x 250

728 x 90

Now: Target the Traveler, Not the Travel Site

Prospecting & RetargetingLeverage Both to Maximize Results

ProspectingEstablish brand consideration with new prospects early in the purchase funnel.

Retargeting98% of visitors will not convert on their first site visit — retargeting brings them back.

Discover

Plan

Book

1 2 3Prospecting: Attract New Travelers

Identify user that appears to be in-market for a hotel through first and/or third party data.

Later, the visitor surfs other sites and sees your ads.

Inspired and engaged, potential traveler comes to your site to book.

1 2 3Retargeting: Turn Lookers into Bookers

A visitor lands on your site and shops, but doesn’t convert.

Later, the visitor surfsother sites on the web andSojern serves her your ad customized to her interests.

Reengaged with a relevant offer, your visitor comes back to your site to book.

40%

Value the View-Through Action Excluding view-through actions targets only the 2% “clicker” population – ignoring

the remaining 98%. By only focusing on CTAs, you lose reach and miss opportunities to influence users.

Adding view-through actions optimizes your campaign to your entire audience, not just clickers.

65% of same day hotel reservationsare made from a smartphone.With so many bookers doing so on mobile, if you don’t have a mobile-friendly experience you’re losing travelers and conversions.

- Statistics Brain

Tips For Mobile

If the button is too small or hard to find, you will lose a potential guest

Use a responsive design website

47% of people expect a mobile web page to load in 2 seconds or less

Don’t Create Your Own App

Make Offer Boxes Mobile Friendly

Don’t Have Long Load Times

Driving Direct: Reaching Customers Wherever, Whenever

Consumers have moved to multi-device from dreaming to bookings

The Traveler Purchase Funnel has been twisted into a the Traveler Purchase Maze

Leverage digital tools to reach today’s all-digital consumer

Thank You!

Chris BlaineVP, Sales & Account Management chris.blaine@sojern.com

A World of Pure Imagination: Reaching & Inspiring Travel Shoppers

Ed St. OngePresident, Flip.to

Click to add Image (optional)

Content Marketing through StoriesThe money tree that hotels have neglected to water

— Robert McKeeMcKee Story Seminars

“By telling a story as a marketer, you’re inserting, like a Trojan horse, a story into a mind that loves stories. And now you’ve got a chance to get [your audience] to do

what you need them to do.”

Content marketing is the art of creating, curating and distributing relevant and valuable content to attract and retain a targeted audience. It helps a company build trust, loyalty and engagement with an audience, which leads to increased business.

Slide courtesy of

What is Content Marketing?

Slide courtesy of

• That’s what differentiates content marketing from advertising.

• It’s information that people actually want to find, consume and share.

• It’s useful and helps consumers learn something and become better travelers.

• It inspires people – to travel, to explore, to experience.

• It’s authentic, not promotional.

The Key Word Is “Valuable”

“The classic advertising technique, that literally goes back to Benjamin Franklin, has been bragging and promising. What [successful companies] have smartly realized is

that the Millennial generation and Generation Z coming up behind them have an adverse reaction to bragging.”

— Robert McKee(the world’s foremost educator on brand storytelling)

Every stay leads to a richer story to tell.

Airbnb knows the value of stories

• Look at your website, email, and social with fresh eyes: Are you infusing content that tells a story?

• Coupons ≠ content. Instead collect and use photos, videos, and real guest quotes instead.

• Ask yourself: Are really selling the dream, or are you selling a ‘check list’?

• Use appropriate calls-to-action in the inspiration phase. Nurture travelers into becoming future guests.

• Adopt a ‘mobile-first’ strategyMost of the inspiration phase is done on mobile.

Bring true hospitality back to the forefront of your marketing strategy

Edward St. Onge • President • http://flip.to

Stories travelYour guests have incredible stories to tell, and huge

global audiences who are listening.

Make their stories an integral part of your story, and turn meaningful moments into measurable ROI.

Up Next Making a List and Checking It Twice: Travel Research, Planning & Validation