Search marketing has long been the grand poobah of digital marketing. In travel, industry marketers have relied heavily on Search strategies to lead prospects down the conversion funnel. This paper discusses the historical importance of Search, examines indicators that Search’s dominance could be slipping, and recommends what travel marketers should do to adapt their digital marketing strategies to keep ahead during changing times.Analyst: Hollis ThomasesTopics: Social & Search, Technology InnovationSegments: Hotels & Lodging, Online Travel AgenciesResearch Type: Report
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It is now commonplace to see people talking to their smartphones. The distinction here was intentional, as talking to the phone rather than on the phone is now a standard behavior. In fact, 40% of millennials use voice-activated assistants for purchase research. Gartner predicts that by 2018, 30% of our interactions with technology will be through “conversations” with smart machines. The movement to voice interaction is not simply a new UI, but a fundamental change in the way people interact with technology. How will voice interfaces impact the travel planning and shopping process? Who is best positioned to benefit from the emerging use of voice search?Analyst: Norm RoseTopic: Technology InnovationResearch Type: Report
On the surface, year-to-year changes in the percent of revenue booked through traditional hospitality distribution channels appear to be stable. This belies seismic changes occurring among the major players in distribution – chains, online travel agencies, metasearch sites, travel agencies, travel management companies, search engines, tour operators. social media sites and new distribution related startups. We need an alternate way to view the hospitality distribution system.Analyst: Bill CarrollTopic: Technology InnovationSegment: Hotels & LodgingResearch Type: Report
Emerging markets are advancing rapidly, private accommodation and in-destination activities are coming of age, and new technologies are reshaping online travel search, shop and book from the inside-out. There has never been a more exciting time in the world of online travel. From AI to APAC (and a whole lot in between), this report – presented by Expedia Affiliate Network – highlights what to expect from digital travel in the year ahead.Analysts: Maggie Rauch, Mark Blutstein, Alice Jong, Brandie Wright, Douglas QuinbyTopics: Consumer Trends, Destination & Activities Marketing, Mobile, Market Overview & SizingSegments: Air, Hotels & Lodging, Online Travel Agencies, Tours & PackagesRegions: Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, Middle East & Africa, U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
The average leisure traveler visits 4-5 websites when planning a leisure trip, and many remain frustrated when shopping for and booking travel online. Surprisingly, despite the scope of this problem (and the vast opportunity it presents), there are few quality solutions currently available. This articles addresses some interesting technology that has the potential to significantly impact online travel planning and booking: The Semantic Web, Google’s Knowledge Graph and Information Cartography.Analyst: Bob OffuttTopics: Technology Innovation, Social & SearchResearch Type: Report
This Spotlight explores the evolution of search technology, with a focus on the technologies, platforms and other factors that help consumers discover, learn and decide (and purchase) based on information that is contextually relevant.Analyst: Michael GerraTopics: Social & Search, Technology InnovationRegion: U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
One of the most exciting developments in Artificial Intelligence is the emergence of machine learning. As the term implies, applications that use machine learning become smarter the more the application is used. Machine learning is at the heart of today’s search algorithms and self-driving automobile revolution as well as advanced spam and fraud detection. In the travel industry, machine learning is being deployed to improve user interfaces, analyze vast amounts of data and enable conversational commerce. This article will discuss the practical use of machine-learning techniques for travel applications, separating the hype from the true potential of this emerging technology.Analyst: Norm RoseTopic: Technology InnovationResearch Type: Report
Over the past decade, the travel search, shop, buy process has grown increasingly complex. The rapid adoption of mobile devices and rise of social networking are changing the way that travelers worldwide consume and share travel information. As travelers explore the online and mobile tools available to them, the digital funnel is evolving in every market. This report provides a detailed look at how travelers in eight key markets – Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Russia, the U.K. and the U.S. – are navigating the trip life cycle. It provides a basis for understanding travel-planning behavior in relation to devices and attitudes toward key shopping and purchase channels.Analysts: Cathy Walsh, Marcello Gasdia, Douglas QuinbyTopics: Social & Search, Consumer TrendsSegments: Air, Car Rental & Ground Transportation, Hotels & Lodging, Online Travel Agencies, Tours & PackagesRegions: Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
For travel players competing for accommodations shoppers, the battle for website visitors often begins on a third-party website. Search, metasearch, referrals and advertising all play a role in driving traveler traffic. This report, part of Phocuswright’s U.S. Accommodation: Clickstream & Conversion series, presents analysis of traffic trends for the U.S. online accommodation marketplace, with a focus on referral share and trends for key segments and travel brands. Data includes desktop and mobile referrals in the hotel, OTA, private accommodation and metasearch categories.Analysts: Douglas Quinby, Cathy Walsh, Deepak JainTopic: Consumer TrendsSegment: Hotels & LodgingRegion: U.S. & CanadaResearch Type: Report
Each year, Phocuswright publishes an annual “trends” report that discusses the most significant technology-driven issues or developments that will shape travel distribution in the course of the year and beyond. This year we incorporate the views of our extended analyst team, who are industry experts in a range of areas. This paper features introductions to more in-depth discussions on these topics that will be published throughout the remainder of this year.Analysts: Bob Offutt, Robert Cole, Michael Gerra, Cathy Walsh, Hollis Thomases, Michael Coletta, Norm RoseTopic: Technology InnovationResearch Type: Report