User-generated content in the form of positive reviews on sites like Trip Advisor, is increasingly becoming the make or break factor when it comes to online travel booking, with more than one quarter of consumers identifying it as the most important factor, according to new findings released today.
The online travel booking poll, carried out by user experience consultancy, Webcredible, revealed that 29 per cent of consumers consider positive reviews on sites like TripAdvisor as the most likely factor to make them book a holiday online, emphasising the importance for online travel sites in offering a reviews section or link to a reviews site, to satisfy user needs.
The only factor identified as more important than reviews was price, with 38 per cent of consumers identifying online prices and deals as the factor most likely to make them book a holiday online. The findings are testament to the increasing demand of users for richer interaction online, the rise of user-generated content and the important role sites like TripAdvisor now play in driving holiday purchases.
The research polled more than 1,000 online users between December 2010 and May 2011 on what would make them more likely to book a holiday online. 13 per cent of respondents said that a reputable brand, airline or agent was the most important factor, while 11 per cent identified inspirational information and new ideas as most likely to make them book a holiday online. Nine per cent felt that the availability of flights or accommodation was the key factor.
Trenton Moss, Director at Webcredible comments, “The online travel sector is one of the leaders when it comes to user experience and rich interaction, but when consumer reviews are held in such high regard, it becomes increasingly important for online travel sites to build this into their proposition in some way. The research findings show the importance of satisfying users’ needs for greater interaction and access to user-generated content when it comes to making purchases, and those sites that don’t take heed could find themselves fighting a losing battle.”
Webcredible’s annual Flights Online report will be released later in June, offering a more in-depth view of how the websites of UK airlines and travel agents meet the usability needs of their users.
Research Methodology
The online travel booking research polled 1,054 visitors to the Webcredible website between December 2010 and May 2011.
Source: www.webcredible.co.uk
4 Comments
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what a shame then that most organic reviews on websites are likely to be negative as that’s when people complain. The positive reviews (usually very unusually complimentary), contain very marketing-y terms such as ‘Service’ and ‘experience’, written by an anonymous profile with 1 post. i.e. written by the company or their PR firm.
Do i trust travel website reviews any more? not on your nelly!
But what if the reviews are guaranteed to be from real customers, and what if EVERY customer has been asked for their opinion, and what if the reviews are on an independent website that guarantees not to edit them?
That’s us (Feefo)! And – yes – we do believe that reviews matter!
Fleur, I couldn’t agree more. We used to struggle finding a way to publish honest feedback that people believed, until we stumbled across Feefo.
Our ski school has been using Feefo for over 2 years. As an independent agent, they collect and display our client feedback. We have no control over what clients write.
Feel free to look at our website http://www.skinewgen.com to see how the link to independent feedback shows what real clients think about us. It’s all there, the good and less good. We have found it incredibly useful for our business and I’d recommend to anyone.
Interesting article. @Fleur Yes it is difficult to determine what is a “fabricated” review and which ones are genuine. Where at the end of the day, it is inevitable that firms and marketers will use these methods. Here’s an article you may find interesting that we wrote on reviews and Tripadvisor http://bit.ly/snS4JG