Nominations open for the Mobile Innovation in Travel Awards 2014
Do you know a travel brand that is investing intelligently in mobile? If so EyeforTravel wants to hear from you.
The mobile story and its impact on the travel industry is one that EyeforTravel has told often in recent times.
One of the clearest trends in travel, according to our most recent Social Media & Mobile in Travel Distribution report 2013*, is that cross-device shopping is on the rise. Indeed, travellers today are researching, planning and booking travel using a variety of devices including mobile, tablet and desktop at each stage of the process.
It seems, too, that many are becoming more comfortable with booking travel via mobile, with 65% of Americans saying that they would be prepared to buy travel via a smartphone. So it's little wonder that many travel brands have decided to act fast to take advantage of the ability to target customers on the move and not risk leaving them to find their competitors. In fact 57.3% of travel brands have increased their mobile budgets in 2012 versus 52.3% in 2013.
While that is good news, there is still more to be done. "We're seeing numerous brands in the industry make key in-roads into mobile and some are seeing millions of dollars of mobile transactions as a result," says Gina Baillie, GM EyeforTravel.com. "However in the race to go mobile, not all brands are investing intelligently."
What many brands need to recognise, is that even if a customer does not transact on a mobile device, it plays an important role in the travel research and planning stages. After all, many people today begin their research on a mobile device. So if they are out and about and dreaming of that all-important trip, it is essential that they can access a mobile friendly version of a brand website. "If they don't, chances are they will have eliminated that brand from their desktop research when they return home and continue their trip planning online," warns Baillie, GM, EyeforTravel Ltd.
Deciding where to invest in mobile for maximum return is a major challenge right now for e-commerce and product development directors. Decisions can be costly and there are numerous pitfalls to avoid. "As an industry we are already falling behind in the mobile space," stresses Baillie. "However, those brands that are risking their valuable time and resources now, are helping to drive through mobile innovation across the industry and in our view deserve to be rewarded."
As such EyeforTravel is seeking to reward the brands investing intelligently in mobile right now and paving the way for the rest of the industry to follow.
EyeforTravel's 3rd annual Mobile Innovation in Travel Awards will take place in San Francisco, March 17th and will see numerous travel brands put forward their mobile apps, websites and overall mobile strategies.
The nomination stage is now open. Nominate your brand before December 27th here.
The awards will be held as part of EyeforTravel's Mobile Strategies for Travel conference (March 17-18). This event is co-located with EyeforTravel's popular Social Media Strategies for Travel conference which is now in its seventh successful year.
About Reuters Events
Reuters Events is a community where the world’s top online travel brands – from hotels to airlines, online travel agents, cruise, car hire firms and more – come to meet to drive forward growth and innovation in the industry.
We know that working in the turbulent online travel industry is as exciting as it is challenging. In this constantly evolving market place, we appreciate that keeping up with the pace of change can be tough, not to mention time consuming. You need the right information, contacts and strategic insight to succeed.
Established in 1997, by Tim Gunstone, we offer a diverse product portfolio including industry analysis, insights, research, webinars, reports and conferences to suit the needs of our clients.
Our clients read as a who’s who of online travel. From major hotel brands to new startups, we help our 80,000 strong customer base make better decisions, build better brands, close the most lucrative deals and ultimately sell more of their product. After all, increasing travel brand profit margins in the cutthroat travel industry is the name of the game!
No other online travel intelligence provider has been charting the growth of online travel as long as we have. We were here at the inception of online travel and we know the industry inside out. What’s more, we’re a small, friendly team. Forget impersonal hierarchies, we like to get to know our customers and work towards their exact needs.
