Loyalty Programs Continue to Thrive as Consumers Resume their Travel Habits
During the economic downturn, hospitality and tourism brands focused on their loyalty programs to increase conversion. The iPerceptions report found that their efforts are still paying off; specific metrics that speak directly to loyalty development as a function of visit outcome – Return (i.e. encourages visitors to return) and Starting Point (i.e. is one of the first sites visitors use when planning a trip or event) significantly increased this quarter.
“The growth in loyalty program membership has had a more positive impact than many hospitality brands would have imagined in a mature market,” said Claude Guay, President and CEO of iPerceptions. “Loyalty programs have taken on a life of their own, not only stimulating visitor’s intent to return to the website, but in also keeping brands at the top of mind when making travel plans.”
The report analyzed real-time feedback from more than 150,000 people visiting over 100 hospitality and tourism sites to identify the most important issues and trends facing this unique industry.
Other important findings from the report include:
- The number of leisure travelers increased from 78% in Q2 to 80% in Q3 and had more satisfactory website experiences than business travelers
- Business travelers had difficulties finding answers to specific questions regarding hotel facilities (e.g. meeting room availability and capacity, shuttle service, distance to meeting locations, etc.), which compromised their experience
- Problems during the booking process, technical problems and navigation problems were the leading causes of booking abandonment
- Price concerns continued to decrease, falling from 17% in Q2 to 14% in Q3