Orlando, Fla. (May 27, 2011) - Consumers
today are
autonomous - both by choice and necessity. They have become more
insular with a
closely-knit sphere of influence and, as revealed in the
Ypartnership/Harrison
Group 2011 Portrait of the American Travelers(SM), this is affecting
how they
both arrive at and make purchase decisions.
Within the funnel of information sources that drive
purchases, new insights from the survey reveal that initial ideas and
advice
are obtained through personal relationships and trusted media.
Internet sources dominate as travelers move
closer toward purchasing decisions. Specifically, the key drivers for
each
phase of the travel decision-making process include:
- Step #1: Ideas
and inspiration: In this first stage, the role of family and friends is
essentially tied with traditional media as the trusted source of
information.
The American traveler casts a wide net when seeking ideas and
inspiration for
travel-related decisions. Just over half look to family and friends (52
percent), alongside television (48 percent), and a variety of printed
media
including magazines (49 percent), professional guide books (46 percent)
and
brochures (43 percent).
- Step #2: Advice
and insight: The range of sources narrows in this next phase, as
consumers move
closer to making an actual purchase decision. The personal
recommendations of
family and friends still top the list (54 percent), followed by travel
guide
books (44 percent) and travel experts (38 percent). The Internet grows
in
influence, with search websites such as Google and Bing.com utilized by
nearly
one in four travelers (38 percent), as well as destination websites (37
percent). Interestingly, the impact of brochures and television drops,
revealing their role primarily as awareness-building, not
advice-providing.
- Step #3: Pricing
and comparing: The Internet moves to the forefront, as travelers
explore a
variety of online resources. Online travel agencies such as Expedia or
Travelocity are utilized by more than half of travelers for gathering
pricing
information (56 percent) and impartial comparisons (51 percent). Travel
service
suppliers’ websites (such as airline or hotel pages) are also sources
for
pricing (51 percent), but less so for comparisons (35 percent). Roughly
one-third turn to online search engines (37 percent) or multi-brand
online
platforms like Amazon and Hotels.com (35 percent), and destination
websites (34
percent) for pricing. However, only one out of four travelers uses
destination
websites for comparison shopping.
- Step #4:
Purchasing: When it comes to purchasing the best deal, the funnel
narrows to
two main options – booking through an online travel agency (41 percent)
or
directly via a travel supplier’s own web site (38 percent). Less than
one in
four travelers uses traditional travel agents (23 percent) when
booking,
followed distantly by multi-brand websites (18 percent) and destination
websites (17 percent).
The Ypartnership/Harrison Group 2011 Portrait of American
Travelers(SM) is national survey of 2,539 U.S. households that was
conducted in
February 2011. The nationally-representative results provide an
in-depth
examination of the impact of the current economic environment, social
values
and media habits on the travel habits of Americans with an annual
household
income of $50,000 or more. For more information, please visit the
Publications
section of http://www.ypartnership.com.
Ypartnership is America's leading marketing
services company serving travel, leisure and entertainment clients. The
agency's Insights group is widely acknowledged as the preeminent source
of
market intelligence on emerging business and leisure travel trends. The
firm
also co-authors the quarterly travelhorizons(TM) survey with the U.S.
Travel
Association. For more information, visit http://www.ypartnership.com.
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