Chapter 2: Mobile & Travel Survey Mobile Technology in Travel - The Introduction
S
u
r
v
e
y
T
r
a
v
e
l
As highlighted earlier in the report, there has been a significant increase in the use
of Mobile technology by consumers all over the world and this has certainly sparked
some excitement amongst the travel industry. The possibility of being able to reach an
increasing volume of consumers appeals greatly to travel companies. The huge adoption o
b
i
l
e
&
of the PC Internet has generated immense opportunities for Travel over the last decade
M
and has installed a variety of opportunities allowing direct communication (and indirect)
with current and potential customers.
Despite the earlier indication that ‘service based’ Mobile strategies have played the major
part to date, the most frequent response focused around Sales & Marketing. Whilst
other categories included aspects of ‘sales’ and ‘marketing’ this category reflected the
respondents’ wider concept around the potential of Mobile technology for Travel, really
looking at the entire buying cycle. Companies are considering integrating strategies
behind both sales and marketing looking to reach consumers via mobile phones for
both.
Recognition towards the rapid explosion in the use of mobile phones indicates potential
for an even more direct and personal connection, even with the possibility of eradicating
some of the limitations that fixed location PC internet/email access may be associated
with. The concept of being able to connect with consumers not only 24/7, but also in a
‘footloose’ manner, is a concept that is new and something that is suggesting enhanced
opportunities to current online travel strategies. The concept of footloose travel
distribution made possible by Mobile technology is basically suggesting that travel
companies can make their ‘content’ available to anyone regardless of location.
The general theme that emerged from this concept was ‘presence’ and this has been
created as the umbrella category. This category included concepts of communication,
presenting company information, generating sales and offering services that are not
location bound. The concept of being available or having presence at all possible
consumer engagement points is considered one of the key ideas behind Mobile strategies.
The type of presence considered possible or important does vary. One of the concepts
behind having a ‘presence’ is the development of a Mobile website and devising the
ultimate means of delivering content. Some respondents also look at a little further
and focus on the search optimisation of these mobile sites in order to ensure an actual
presence is achieved within the mobile internet space.
The next most common theme to emerge from the respondents is an emphasis upon
adaptation. There is an emphasis that ‘Mobile strategies’ need to be defined and this
is the stage at which a lot of companies have currently reached. Companies are placing
a lot of emphasis upon research and development in order to define business cases
and develop appropriate strategies for this technology. As a result of the relative lack
of experience held by the travel industry to date and therefore limited ideas to base
strategies on, there is currently importance placed upon the need for ‘knowledge’ in
order to generate an understanding about how to move forward in an effective way.
50 51
© EyeforTravel Research. All rights reserved. © EyeforTravel Research. All rights reserved.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80