Thomas Cook, TUI, Booking.com and Expedia were found to be the four most trusted brands among British travelers, according a the just released results of a study by UK brand technology agency Great State, which surveyed 1,154 consumers across the UK to explore their attitudes and behaviors in leisure at the end of this year’s peak travel season.
Beware, however, brand marketers. The same survey showed that more than half of UK holidaymakers (52 percent) are not loyal to any one provider.
At event held to mark the release of the survey results, Miranda Glover, business director at Great State, said the industry was “disenfranchised” and “fragmented,” adding, “the question we are asking is how can travel brands retain a share of the consumer’s wallet.” she said.
Other points made in the Great State survey report included the following:
—A lack of loyalty to travel brands is most evident among those in higher income brackets, with almost three quarters of those earning £65,000 ($83,000) saying they would never book with the same provider consistently.
—Regarding the four most trusted brands (Thomas Cook, TUI, Booking.com and Expedia) consumers surveyed also found the same four brands to be the most trusted to offer products which would deliver “end-to-end experiences.” This means if consumers booked through these four brands, they were less likely to have shopped elsewhere.
—Delays and cancellations (53 percent); queues (36 percent); and hidden costs (35 percent) were cited as the top frustrations that would discourage a consumer from repeat booking with a provider.
“Given how many things still go wrong when people are travelling – like delays, lost baggage and missed connections – that means it’s all too easy to disappoint consumers and lose them to an ever-expanding set of rivals,” said Matt Boffey, co-founder of Great State. “In this context, brands’ first priority must be to develop a great end-to-end customer experience, where common pain points are anticipated, and potential disappointment is transformed into delight. It’s the only path to winning a greater share of consumer attention, data and spend.”
