IPerceptions Releases Hospitality and Tourism Industry Report Q1 2010
New 'Voice of Customer' Data Shows Usability, Innovation and Creativity are Key Components to Successs as Economy Improves
iPerceptions Inc. (TSX-V: IPE), a leading provider of web-focused Voice of Customer analytics, released its Hospitality & Tourism Industry Report for Q1 2010. The report analyzes real-time feedback from more than 180,000 people visiting nearly 300 hospitality and tourism sites to identify the most important issues and trends facing this unique industry.
As the first quarter of 2010 shows early signs of economic recovery, the hospitality and tourism industry is in a position to benefit from a renewed determination to travel. However, as a new economic landscape unfolds, brands need to evaluate potential changes in the consumer mindset when it comes to travel priorities, and adjust their online (and offline) strategies accordingly.
Historically, Q1 is a low travel period. Fewer visitors come to make a reservation and more come to research and compare rates. Moreover, those who do come to make a reservation are less likely to actually do so. A mere 63% of bookers (those who come to make a reservation) completed a booking in Q1 2010, which is down from 71% in Q4 2009.
High price perception is the leading cause of reservation abandonment, with about a third of bookers citing “price” as a barrier to task completion. Unfortunately, as marketers, price is often a broader issue to tackle. A more manageable issue is that of site usability and functionality, which causes 19% of bookers to abandon their reservation.
“A convenient, hassle-free way to book a reservation can have a tremendous impact on booking conversion” said Claude Guay, president and CEO of iPerceptions. “Not only do we see a large share of visitors abandon their reservation because of functionality and technical problems, but our studies indicate that site responsiveness [which refers to features such as speed, page errors, page flow, etc.] plays the strongest role in visitors overall level of site satisfaction.”
Other important opportunities for marketers include:
• Bolstering brand perceptions, so that they remain front and center as visitors evaluate their options
• Increasing exposure and highlighting the benefits of their rewards program
• Leveraging social media, as an alternative platform to listen to and engage customers and create brand buzz
• Incorporating mobile broadband technologies and applications, to offer convenient access to their customers and broaden their brand presence
Data contained in the Hospitality & Tourism Industry Report for Q1 2010 represents aggregated information obtained from iPerceptions’ enterprise solution webValidator™ and free 4Q surveys deployed on the websites of many leading hospitality brands. The full report can be found on the iPerceptions website at:http://www.iperceptions.com/resource-center/
About the iPerceptions Satisfaction Index (iPSI)
The iPerceptions Satisfaction Index (iPSI) is derived from more than 100 million satisfaction and experience data points obtained from over five million individual website visitors in the context of their actual site visits. The iPSI covers over 30 verticals, including automotive, travel, and e-commerce. It features a perceptual framework to isolate and evaluate key elements of the visitor experience, along with predictive algorithms and modeling to uncover the attributes with the greatest impact on satisfaction. As a result, the iPSI delivers the clearest and most accurate understanding of the key issues impacting satisfaction, intent, task completion and customer loyalty.
About iPerceptions
iPerceptions is a leading web-focused Voice of Customer analytics provider. Its webValidator Continuous Listening solution, free website survey solution 4Q, Web Analytics Solution Profiler (WASP) and proprietary iPerceptions Satisfaction Index (iPSI) turn thousands of data points into easy-to-understand strategic and tactical decision support for website marketers. iPerceptions’ clients include such well-known brands as InterContinental Hotels, General Motors, Dell, Hyundai, LG Electronics, Choice Hotels International, BMW and Monster Worldwide. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.iperceptions.com/.
