Online hotel, flight and car rental bookings substantially increase in 2013, in part due to growth of mobile
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The online travel industry is ripe with opportunity for marketers, according to a new report released by CJ Affiliate by Conversant. The 2014 Travel Benchmarks Report, which analyzed travel sales activity from January through December 2013 and compared it to the same period in 2012, showed a significant increase in online hotel, flight and car rental bookings due in part to the continued growth of mobile device usage by consumers.
“There is an opportunity to pull off a marketing double-play by tapping the trend for higher booking by promoting personalized packages or hotel stays at a higher price within a mobile environment.”
The annual Travel Benchmarks Report analyzes the growth of online travel bookings and seeks to establish benchmarks for travel advertisers regarding how to best approach buyers. Overall travel sales are a sign of economic growth and reflect consumer and business confidence, since travel expenditures are often the first to be cut when budgets are tight. The significant growth of travel sales in the past year is therefore highly relevant to marketers far beyond the travel industry.
Key findings from the study include:
- Hotel bookings boom – growth of hotel bookings shot up by 27 percent from 2012 to 2013 for online travel agency advertisers and by 39 percent for direct supplier advertisers
- Splurging for the upgrade – with the exception of car rentals, people are paying more, with average order values growing by as much as 7 percent
- Online travel agencies (OTA) dominate – in 2013, OTAs drove 76 percent of all air bookings in the CJ Affiliate network
- Travelers go direct for car rentals – direct suppliers accounted for 92 percent of the CJ Affiliate network’s car rental bookings
“More than ever, people are turning to their mobile devices for travel research and booking, so advertisers this year should double down on their mobile distribution as well as focus on a data strategy that will establish key insights into consumer preferences,” said Kerri Pollard, president of CJ Affiliate by Conversant. “There is an opportunity to pull off a marketing double-play by tapping the trend for higher booking by promoting personalized packages or hotel stays at a higher price within a mobile environment.”
To download a complete copy of the study, please visit: http://go.conversantmedia.com/affiliate-travelspotlight-march-2014.html
About CJ Affiliate by Conversant
CJ Affiliate by Conversant facilitates and supports equitable, lucrative relationships between advertisers and publishers. Many of the world’s most widely recognized and highly specialized brands run their pay-for-performance programs on CJ’s platform.
About Conversant, Inc.
Conversant, Inc. (Nasdaq:CNVR) is the leader in personalized digital marketing. Conversant helps the world’s biggest companies grow by creating personalized experiences that deliver higher returns for brands and greater satisfaction for people. We offer a fully integrated personalization platform, personalized media programs and the world’s largest affiliate marketing network –all fueled by a deep understanding of what motivates people to engage, connect and buy. For more information, please visit www.conversantmedia.com.
