There is an increased use of mobile devices in consumer travel planning and purchasing worldwide, according to Criteo’s Travel Flash Report. Asia Pacific leads the way with more than 20 percent of travel bookings made on a mobile device, with Brazil and Germany less than 10 percent.
Representing the activity of more than 1,000 travel websites worldwide, the report provides insight on both the share and value of bookings generated from mobile devices for travel websites, including airlines, hotels, car rentals, cruises and apartments, and the impact this has on marketers’ advertising campaigns.
The value of Android bookings for flights outpaces all other mobile devices.
On a global basis, mobile bookings are growing faster than desktop: 20 percent versus 2 percent over the first six months of 2014. Smartphones and tablets account for 21 percent of hotel bookings, while peer-to-peer apartment rentals is the category with highest mobile penetration (34 percent globally).
The value of mobile bookings is increasing in every area except for accommodation. The average booking value was 21 percent higher for air travel and 13 percent higher for car rentals, but 30 percent lower for hotel bookings on mobile devices than desktop.
In-app bookings account for 12 percent of total mobile bookings. Meanwhile, the value of bookings by device varies across categories: there’s an average $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.
With a 42 percent 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 percent throughout the season in Europe and the US, but the average value of those bookings falls by 19 percent. For hotel suppliers, however, the booking numbers remain stable throughout the first half of 2014, with peaks in value in February and June.
“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 Jason Morse, Vice President, Mobile Products at Criteo. “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.”
