Online travel never looked so mobile, especially in Asia Pacific with more than 20% of travel bookings made on a mobile device, compared with Brazil and Germany with less than 10%.
APAC leads in booking travel via mobile
The Travel Flash Report from Criteo, the performance advertising technology company, represents the activity of more than 1,000 travel websites worldwide in the first half of 2014.
Some key finding: (see full report in slides below):
Global findings:
- Mobile bookings are growing faster than desktop: 20% versus 2% over the first six months of 2014.
- Smartphones and tablets account for 21% of hotel bookings.
- Peer-to-peer apartment rentals is the category with highest mobile penetration (34% globally).
- The value of mobile bookings is increasing in every area except for accommodation. The average booking value was 21% higher for air travel and 13% higher for car rentals, but 30% lower for hotel bookings on mobile devices than desktop.
- In-app bookings account for 12% of total mobile bookings.
- The value of bookings by device varies across categories: there’s an average US$600 more spent on packages booked on the iPad compared to those booked via any Android device. However, the value of Android bookings for flights outpaces all other mobile devices.
Regional findings:
- Asia Pacific leads the way with more than 20% of travel bookings made on a mobile device, with Brazil and Germany less than 10 percent.
- With a 42% increase, Latin America has the most significant seasonal growth in online bookings for travel advertisers. This coincided with the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.
- Online travel agencies’ bookings climb by 50% throughout the season in Europe and the US, but the average value of those bookings falls by 19%. For hotel suppliers, however, the booking numbers remain stable throughout the first half of 2014, with peaks in value in February and June.
Jason Morse, vice president, mobile products at Criteo, said.“Mobile is the driving force behind the exponential growth in online travel booking and sales, and that’s only set to continue in the second half of this year and beyond,” said
“With smartphones and tablets in nearly every consumer’s hands today, travel marketers need to think strategically about developing a highly effective omni-channel marketing experience. That means ensuring the entire consumer experience – from the ads to shopping carts – is mobile optimized. Determining budget across desktop and mobile must be completely fluid because consumers are making decisions in real-time, requiring that the booking experience be streamlined and integrated with mobile-friendly payment systems to ease the all-important path to purchase.”
Download Criteo’s complete Travel Flash Report here
• Featured image (mobile phone) credit: goldyg/Shutterstock
