Metasearch is now critical to the travel research process finds
a new white paper, with 94% of travelers reporting that they use metasearch when
booking hotels and 73% doing so regularly.
A new white
paper from Fornova and EyeforTravel finds that 94.4% of consumers use price
comparison sites at least occasionally when booking their accommodation. Within
this, 72.5% of consumers across the countries surveyed said that they regularly
used metasearch sites and 43.6% said that they always used the tools. The
results come from an EyeforTravel survey of over 3,000 travel consumers across
Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and United States, and you can access the
complete report for free by clicking here now.
This puts metasearch at the forefront of the consumer
research process and makes it a critical area to compete within. “Metasearch
offers price comparisons that show consumers where they can get the best deals
available and there is demand for this among leisure travelers,” said Ujjwal
Suri, vice president, distribution solutions at Fornova. Indeed, when consumers
were asked what made them come back to travel brands again and again to use,
the value proposition came out head and shoulders above other factors, with 62%
of respondents saying that the companies offering the best value were where
they returned to. The next highest category was the digital consumer experience
at 32.4% of travelers.
Looking closer at consumer trends, Millennials and business
travelers are some of the heaviest metasearch users.
Travelers between the ages of 18 and 35 are the group most
likely to report using price comparison tools every time they book
accommodations at 46.4% of the demographic cohort, while those aged 36 to 55
are just behind at 45%, whereas the oldest generation of over 55 years see a
noticeably lower 36.8% reporting that they always use metasearch sites.
Business travelers also far outpace their leisure
counterparts for meta use, at 47.4% comparing rooms every time they shop for a
room, compared with 37.4% of those who have not made a business trip in the
last 12 months. Some 30% of business travelers also report using meta ‘most
times’ they book lodging, compared with 27.2% of leisure travel consumers.
For more on how metasearch is shaping the digital
accommodation market, download
the free white paper now.
This white
paper, made in conjunction with Fornova, gives real-world data on hotel,
wholesaler and OTA bidding strategies, alongside consumer behaviours, and meta
success metrics. Use these to understand the channel, the competitive landscape
and build a winning strategy!
Learn the
following from this white
paper:
- The state of the metasearch market.
- Market penetration rates among consumers and hotels.
- Consumer behaviours on metasearch.
- OTA bidding strategies.
- Techniques to succeed on metasearch.
- The outlook for meta.
