The latest research from MarkMonitor® reveals that 68% of consumers globally now exclusively book their travel online. However, seven out of every 100 respondents surveyed ended up with plans not in line with their expectations, highlighting a definite need for increased education when booking online.
The research, conducted by a leading market research company Opinium, analysed the online behaviour of consumers around booking travel online, including bargain hunting for seasonal goods and attitudes towards piracy. Opinium surveyed 3,257 consumers across eight countries, including the U.K., U.S., Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands. With its focus on booking travel online, the survey results also reveal that of those consumers who booked a holiday that fell short of their expectations, posting a negative review was their first reaction (42%), above trying to get a refund (40%) and complaining to a licensing body (35%) — demonstrating the power of online "word of mouth." Alarmingly, following this bad experience, 37% of respondents report their debit or credit card details were misused or stolen, showing the requirement for increased vigilance when shopping or booking online.
"With the growth of social media and a culture where consumers have the power to make their displeasure widely known through social networking sites, online brand protection has never been more important. This is especially evident in the fact that when asked how they vetted a travel site, almost half (47%) of consumers said they read the reviews," says Mark Frost, CEO of MarkMonitor.
The research, conducted by a leading market research company Opinium, analysed the online behaviour of consumers around booking travel online, including bargain hunting for seasonal goods and attitudes towards piracy. Opinium surveyed 3,257 consumers across eight countries, including the U.K., U.S., Germany, France, Italy, Denmark, Spain and the Netherlands. With its focus on booking travel online, the survey results also reveal that of those consumers who booked a holiday that fell short of their expectations, posting a negative review was their first reaction (42%), above trying to get a refund (40%) and complaining to a licensing body (35%) — demonstrating the power of online "word of mouth." Alarmingly, following this bad experience, 37% of respondents report their debit or credit card details were misused or stolen, showing the requirement for increased vigilance when shopping or booking online.
"With the growth of social media and a culture where consumers have the power to make their displeasure widely known through social networking sites, online brand protection has never been more important. This is especially evident in the fact that when asked how they vetted a travel site, almost half (47%) of consumers said they read the reviews," says Mark Frost, CEO of MarkMonitor.