Travel is social - the booking process must be too

Already popular within retail, the travel industry is behind the curve in realizing the potential that social commerce possesses

Social commerce represents a major opportunity for the travel sector, as research from Phocuswright has indicated; it is precisely what will “crack the code of developing direct distribution channels, nurture loyalty, and improve marketing efficiency”.

Key takeaways

• Adopting social commerce requires OTAs to first confront the fact that friends and family are the biggest influencers on our spending decisions - equating ‘influencer’ to mean only ‘celebrity’ is one of the biggest mistakes the travel industry has made;
• Though social media chat-based apps like WhatsApp, Facebook and Snapchat are used for travel inspiration, they simply cannot support the kind of interactive experience required to progress the booking experience because they do not provide an easy, seamless experience;
• When friends and family begin to search for their dream holiday online, a seamless, social booking experience provides them with a space to make those decisions collectively.

Get the full story at Travel Weekly UK