Research Insights What can past consumer data tell us in the time of COVID-19?

What can past consumer data tell us in the time of COVID-19?

Published:
October 2020

Consumer travel patterns can help to predict what travelers do next. In 2019, Phocuswright found hotels growing their online hotel booking lead over OTAs, with loyalty members leading the charge to book via supplier dot com. Somewhat ironically, the youngest digital natives (Gen Z) were least likely to shop online compared to U.S. travelers overall. Our analysts determined two main factors for this statistic. But this unfamiliar, mid-pandemic territory is halting travel globally. In the face of financial uncertainty and safety concerns, the traveler outlook has been transformed.

Phocuswright Chart: Percentage of Travelers Who Typically Shop Online by Age
(Click image to view a larger version.)

Phocuswright's latest travel research report series, U.S. Consumer Travel Report 2020, provides a snapshot of consumer behavior and sentiment immediately before COVID-19 transformed the world. It tells the story of the largest leisure travel population in a decade, with consumers prioritizing travel and tourism over every other discretionary spending category. Americans want to travel, and just as they returned to trip planning following the global financial crisis and September 11, 2001, they will do so again.

The latest chapter in the series, U.S. Consumer Travel 2020: Shopping and Booking (published September 2020) explores where and how travelers shop for travel products, including device type, websites/apps used, and how factors like age and trip type influence booking method. As leisure travel rebounds, travelers may see the world in a new light. Many will return to these established travel planning habits, while some may forge a new path altogether.

In this series:

  • U.S. Consumer Travel 2020: Core Consumer Metrics
  • U.S. Consumer Travel 2020: Shopping and Booking
  • U.S. Consumer Travel 2020: Travel Product Consumption

Access all three parts of the U.S. Consumer Travel Report 2020 series here.

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