Recent news shows that the much anticipated move toward mobile booking and buying in travel is really already here. As anyone in the developmental end of the hospitality development business already knows, smart device connects will soon represent a disproportionate share of all sales. With Expedia, Kayak, and even some core providers making fast headway, smart players can no longer afford to delay mobile engagement.
The fast track on where travel is engaged via mobile starts here at this Bloomberg article. According to Olga Kharif, Expedia and others are showing a rather drastic shift to hand held devices where buying and booking are concerned. For Expedia in the last two years, mobile hotel purchases take up half the travel giant’s offerings compared with PC purchases. David Stephenson over at TravelWeekly descibes a Kayak hydroplaning atop many other competitors (and IPOs) via their engagement via mobile too. For a clear picture of the trend hitting now, this EyeforTravel infographic is a superb visual. Be sure and pick up after the graphic for more on mobile.
With payments going mobile via digital wallets and the sort, the technology giants distributing their mobile smart device wares as fervently as they can, and a consumer base that seems to be insatiable where on the go tech is concerned, this peculation about mobile travel booking is actually redundant. In fact, the only reason we actually report on it now is so that those lagging behind won’t get left behind.
If you are of a mind to think travel commerce has not migrated to the mobile sector, this Forbes report on Expedia jamming to $62 a share on the strength of smartphone deals seems proof positive to this writer. And.
Much of this mobile/online booking is done by last minute travelers. What does that mean for OTAs and even core providers like hotels? More revenue, that’s what. When was the last time you booked a plane flight at the last minute? Don’t believe it yet? 4Hoteliers reports on IDC findings showing that mobile will very soon supplant the PC conduit for buying travel, and I quote:
“Expedia reports that 65% of hotel bookings within this last 24-hour window are via mobile, and 15% for flight bookings.”
From the experience of our editors and network even, key online travel portals are racing even now to surpass one another in their smart device usability, as well as the monetization schemes that will ultimately power your mobile connections. You see, the big picture of mobility commerce is actually quite complicated. That’s a subject for later discussion, but even as I type this Expedia and many other companies are exploring ways in which to make travelers on the go use their product, their channels. This is a good thing for consumers, but a bit of a dangerous trend for the unwitting.
Stay tuned as we bring you more and more mobile technologies for travelers and companies.
Photo Credit: Smart travel courtesy © buchachon & Fotolia