Economic uncertainty coupled with the proliferation of new devices and platforms, makes it increasingly important for travel firms to make the right business decisions at the right time.

A recent consumer research survey from EyeforTravel sheds light on some major trends and potentially lucrative opportunities.

Do your really know who your consumer is? Do you know how you should be targeting them and where the unknown opportunities may lie? In attempting to answer some of these tough questions EyeforTravel undertook a major consumer research project which involved detailed and in depth surveys with top travel brands as well as over 8,400 consumers in the US, Holland, France, Germany and the UK.   In this video we touch on just a few of the highlights of the research, which is both surprising and revealing. 

If you are looking for last-minute opportunities, for example, consider the US where travel bookings late in the day are growing apace.  When it comes to the user-friendliness of websites (important for conversions) it seems there is also work to be done. Interestingly, just 27% of consumers find travel websites easy to use.

This could explain why 68% of Dutch consumers still prefer to book direct with a travel supplier. However, given that 57% of Dutch consumers are also influenced by user-generated content this is something for OTAs to be thinking about if they are targeting the Dutch online market. 

We also established where budgets are being channelled. So if web design and optimisation is your thing, you'll be pleased to know that 55% of intermediaries and 56% of travel suppliers plan to increase their web budgets in the third quarter.  Social media spend is also on the up.

And of course when it comes to mobile devices and tablets, there is everything to play for.  Over 20% of Americans have booked via a mobile device; they are also most likely of the consumers interviewed (25%) to fork out any value of payment via mobile. 

The British (16%) followed by the French (13%) are less likely to spend any value of money via mobile. Travel payments tend to be of higher value. So for those that make life simple and user friend, while ensuring consumer trust, there are big gains to be had.

To find out more, watch the video below  or find out more here.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUwWqdTES98