U.S. travelers primed for personalization

Among travelers' main complaints about online travel planning are that it takes too long, and they need to search too many different websites to find a good deal for what they want. While online travel shopping frequently requires multiple searches, other online experiences deliver personalized recommendations that streamline the process. Netflix and Amazon, for example, each offer consumers suggestions based on what's in their cart, past purchases or activity, or what they are currently doing on the site.

These online experiences have primed travelers for recommendations, and now for travel planning as well. Half of U.S. online travelers agree they would rather see a few choices based on what they tend to do, in order to avoid spending time hunting down the one perfect option. However, at a time when the issue of data privacy looms large in the U.S. and elsewhere, it's important to note that personalization requires the sharing of personal data. For most travelers, though, this is not a significant deterrent; around half of travelers are comfortable sharing their past or current travel plans with travel companies, if it helps provide a more personalized, streamlined experience.

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For more on the fine line between personalization and privacy in online travel planning, check out Phocuswright's From Chat to Personalization: How U.S. Travelers Use Chat, Voice and Social. This report is one of three in the U.S. Traveler Technology Survey Eighth Edition Report series.

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