Brand new research by digital product agency Somo has revealed that British consumers find online holiday booking “stressful”.
According to findings, three quarters (77%) of consumers are willing to pay more if the online booking process was easier.
The research is included in a new report, ‘Search to sale: Bringing airlines’ digital experience up to speed’, and looks into the practical challenges facing the airline industry today.
2,025 UK consumers who have booked flights online to travel abroad in the last two years were surveyed for the report.
- Two in 5 (41%) consumers surveyed admitted to having booked a more expensive flight or hotel simply because the online booking process was easier than with the preferred cheaper holiday/ flight of choice.
- Almost two thirds (58%) of people admit to abandoning a booking because the process has been too stressful and complicated. This is most common among those aged 25-34, at 63%.
- Two thirds (65%) have planned ‘staycations’ in the UK, with over half of those doing so because they feel it’s too complicated and stressful to go abroad.
- 4 out of 5 (83%) would be more likely to holiday abroad this year if airline providers or holiday companies made the process easier and clearer in regards to COVID restrictions.
- 63% said that the most in-demand type of communication from airlines is updates around COVID restrictions at each destination.
- 58% of consumers said they have airline apps downloaded on their smartphones, creating a clear route for airlines to update customers digitally and easily.
- Customers also want airlines to be clearer about visa restrictions or document requirements at their destinations, with 60% saying this could be clearer when booking holidays.
- Most (58%) of consumers also feel that airlines are not upfront or clear enough about their pricing of additional costs relating to baggage, seat allocation, faster queues or tax, with 99% of these individuals finding this a point of frustration.
Rebecca Crook, Chief Growth Officer at Somo, said: “The biggest pain point revealed in the report is the communication between airline or holiday provider and customer, to the point where the inefficiencies and stress are resulting in people abandoning the idea and opting to holiday domestically.
“We saw the extreme levels this reached with the recent airport chaos over Easter and continuing into the Summer travel period, with serious communication breakdowns between airlines and travellers, who were left stranded or without proper support.
“With travel companies desperately trying to recoup losses from the last two years, there is a huge opportunity here to provide a better, more joined-up digital experience – our research shows people are literally willing to pay more for it.
“There’s no excuse for these companies to be failing customers in this way. Airlines need to invest more in a digital experience that excites people about going on holiday rather than turning them off altogether.”
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