In some years, traveler behavior changes slowly. In 2017, however, there was a big shift in the way consumers shopped for leisure travel. Phocuswright surveyed nearly 4,000 leisure travelers and found three shifts in the way they are shopping and booking travel, published in a recent report: U.S. Consumer Travel 2018: Shopping and Booking.

1. The gap between shopping via computer and mobile is shrinking

Over 40% of travelers used smartphones (websites and apps) to shop, up from 28% the year before. A further analysis of websites/apps used in the shopping phase revealed how different ages play a role in determining which websites travelers are most likely to shop on (general search engines vs. supplier websites vs. OTAs). 

2. Increased confidence in online booking

OTAs and suppliers, the two primary online channels, have long battled one another for travel bookings. In 2017, however, metasearch was the real winner. The most dramatic shift to metasearch happened among lodging bookings.

— Source: Phocuswright— Source: Phocuswright
— Source: Phocuswright

3. Price exceeds loyalty

Offering better prices is the top reason that travelers book online; getting better prices is why more than four in 10 recent hotel loyalty members joined their program.

Part of the U.S. Consumer Travel 2018 series, this report explores the key trends in travel shopping and booking, including online vs. offline channels, websites used, the impact of loyalty program memberships and more.

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ABOUT PHOCUSWRIGHT INC.

Phocuswright is the travel industry research authority on how travelers, suppliers and intermediaries connect. Independent, rigorous and unbiased, Phocuswright fosters smart strategic planning, tactical decision-making and organizational effectiveness.

Phocuswright delivers qualitative and quantitative research on the evolving dynamics that influence travel, tourism and hospitality distribution. Our marketplace intelligence is the industry standard for segmentation, sizing, forecasting, trends, analysis and consumer travel planning behavior. Every day around the world, senior executives, marketers, strategists and research professionals from all segments of the industry value chain use Phocuswright research for competitive advantage.

To complement its primary research in North and Latin America, Europe and Asia, Phocuswright produces several high-profile conferences in the United States and Europe, and partners with conferences in China, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates. Industry leaders and company analysts bring this intelligence to life by debating issues, sharing ideas and defining the ever-evolving reality of travel commerce.

The company is headquartered in the United States with Asia Pacific operations based in India and local analysts on five continents.

Phocuswright is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northstar Travel Media, LLC. (116 32nd Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10001 United States). www.phocuswright.com

ABOUT NORTHSTAR TRAVEL GROUP

Northstar Travel Group is the leading provider of business-to-business news, information, data, transactions and custom content solutions for the travel, meetings and hospitality industries. Brands under the Northstar umbrella include Travel Weekly, Travel Weekly China, Travel Weekly Asia, TravelAge West, Business Travel News, Phocuswright, Meetings & Conventions, M&C China, Web in Travel and Inntopia. Northstar is the industry leader in marketing solutions, custom content communications, content licensing and database management serving the travel and meetings industries. The company produces more than 52 face-to-face events, taking place in North and South America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Northstar is based in Secaucus, NJ, and is a portfolio company of EagleTree Capital. www.northstartravelgroup.com