Mobile Insights: 19% of hotel queries come from mobile devices

Today, we’re pleased to launch the first in our new Mobile Insights series, featuring expert views from members of our mobile ads business. Welcome this week’s guest author Erin Schultz, Senior Specialist, Mobile Ads, with contributions from Melissa Moody, Sales Development Manager for Travel. They share their thoughts during Travel & Tourism Week.

Let’s imagine you’re stranded on a trip and need to book a last minute flight or hotel. At a time like this you fully appreciate the power of the mobile web and mobile search. As consumers embrace their phones for all types of activities, we’re seeing mobile devices play a increasingly important role in the travel sector.

We like to think about travel in five stages from: dreaming of that perfect vacation; researching it; booking the trip; experiencing the place; then, sharing the experience with family and friends. Mobile now plays an essential role in this process. In fact, industry analysts at eMarketer predict the number of US consumers using mobile devices to research travel will climb from 19.7 million in 2010 to 29.7 million in 2012.

Mobile devices make all five stages of the travel process more accessible and more robust for consumers. It also opens opportunities for marketers.

• Dreaming: Westin Hotels & Resorts created a display campaign on The Weather Channel’s app. It invited users to "Tap here to warm up," planting the seed for the dreaming user to begin planning their travel with Westin to warmer climes.
• Research: At Google we’re seeing 19% of all hotel queries conducted on mobile devices.
• Booking: Giving users an easy way to book on the spot is crucial. Scott Durchslag, President of Expedia.com revealed "70% of people searching on a phone are looking for a single room, for a single person for a single night that same day." (2)
• Experiencing: Features such as reviews, translation, “scan and go” check-ins for flights, and  location maps make the travel experience easier.
• Sharing: A study we conducted with Ipsos/OTX indicates that 49% of travelers report making travel plans based on the experiences and reviews of others. (3)

Many travel marketers are scaling up their mobile advertising investments, but for some, this remains uncertain territory. Here are four tips you can use to get started.

1. Use location extensions to provide travelers with the opportunity to view ads that are more relevant to their locations. According to Priceline, 82% book within a day of arrival, and 58% are within 20 miles of their hotel. (4)
2. Secure bookings with Click-to-Call. In a Google case study, IHG in Europe noted that by adding mobile creative and Click-to-Call with their mobile revenue increased over 91% YOY. They also found that 40% of their mobile revenue was driven by Click-to-Call.
3. Drive app downloads through click-to-download ads. This functionality allows users to install apps in two easy clicks.
4. Anticipate growing use of tablet devices and make sure you’ve developed a strategy to reach potential customers on tablets. View our recent blog post to learn how.

The mobile marketing industry is young and the window of opportunity is wide open, especially for travel brands. Now is the time to travel to an increasingly popular destination for consumers: the mobile platform. Has your brand taken travel mobile? We’d love to hear about your success in the comments below!

Posted by Erin Schultz, Senior Specialist, Mobile Ads.

Sources:

1. ‘Mobile Travel Takes Off’, eMarketer, March 2011.

2. Scott Durschlag, President, Expedia.com, March 2011.

3. ‘The Mobile Movement: Understanding Smartphone Users’, Google, Ipsos/OTX, May 2011.

4. Priceline Press Release, September 2010.