A poll has indicated that user-generated content in the form of positive reviews on sites like TripAdvisor 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.

Published: 07 Jun 2011

A poll has indicated that user-generated content in the form of positive reviews on sites like TripAdvisor 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.

The online travel booking poll, carried out by user experience consultancy, Webcredible, revealed that 29 percent 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 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.

The only factor identified as more important than reviews was price, with 38 percent of consumers identifying online prices and deals as the factor most likely to make them book a holiday online.

As per the findings, 13 percent of respondents said that a reputable brand, airline or agent was the most important factor, while 11 percent 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.

“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,” said Trenton Moss, director at Webcredible.

“Smart” websites

The online travel industry is rapidly evolving with the demands of today’s travellers. Content is available through a variety of sources including third party travel sites, review sites, social media sites and destination pages.

Travel marketers should expect that when potential guests visit their website, they may be landing on various pages based on their searches and are often coming loaded with information from other sites. For this reason, hospitality websites today should engage consumers at every level and provide shoppers with the ability to find what they are looking for on each page, easily and simply.

“Revenue, conversions, page views, and visitor satisfaction are affected by every millisecond that can be shaved from a potential guests’ overall experience and search,” Amanda See, Regional Director for Sabre Hospitality Solutions told EyeforTravel’s Ritesh Gupta in an interview earlier this year.

See added, “Users want dynamic, content-rich pages with various features to load in 2-3 seconds. A marketer’s goal should be able to understand their market segments and be able to anticipate their shopping behaviour in order to capitalise by meeting their needs. Multivariate tests can help do this. Values can be assigned on every website interaction (including videos, sharing, page clicks, etc), giving marketers the ability to track engagement at the finest level and determine their content based on measurable results.”

She also said, “We suggest to hotels that they implement “Smart” websites – sites that know the market segment they are speaking to based on the way the visitor has arrived to the site, and provide content tailored to that specific market segment.”

Smart sites allow hotels to personalise content – including navigation elements, images, and user generated content - to the visitor looking to plan an event, book a romantic spa getaway, or visit the property on business, while satisfying the shopper’s needs quickly and bring them closer to purchasing.