25 April 2008

'Little brand loyalty' in e-travel Travolution Summit hears

There is little brand loyalty in e-travel, price will no longer be the driving factor in purchase decisions online and brands should incorporate a little ââ¬Åâœmagicââ¬~ if they want to convert traffic to sales, according to a leading consumer strategist.

Speaking at the Travolution Summit in London yesterday, brand expert Adrian Goldthorpe told delegates that ââ¬Åâœpersonable, capable travel agentsââ¬~

had been replaced because it was too time consuming to wait in line on a Saturday morning ââ¬' a practise that engendered great loyalty as clients couldnââ¬â¢t bear to do the same thing over again at the agency down the road. Etravel, he said, provided an alternative but with it came zero loyalty.

ââ¬ÅâœYouââ¬â¢d never spend ages talking to an agent and then go away and do it all again with another agent. You would have booked there and then. With etravel, competitors are just a click away,ââ¬~ he said.

He told the summit that finding a bargain would become less of an issue in etravel. ââ¬ÅâœHolidays have started to be about affirming who you are as a person and so the market becomes segmented, from the young and stupid who still want cheap holidays with lots to drink through to the stressed parents who are looking for ways to keep their children happy to the winter sun grannies.ââ¬~

He added: ââ¬ÅâœSome 60% of our spend as people is on non-essentials so why do we go into discounting mode when we look for a holiday? At the moment we are in Primark territory when it comes to travel but this will change as people start to look at adventure and one-off experiences in their travel plans.ââ¬~

He predicted that travel brands will become more important in online travel purchasing if they managed to get incorporate some ââ¬Åâœmagicââ¬~.

ââ¬ÅâœWhat is magic? Apple has magic, Guinness has magic and Robbie Williams used to have magic,ââ¬~ said Goldthorpe. ââ¬ÅâœIts about a perception that people have of the brand that stands next to the palpable branding you have created and it exists in peopleââ¬â¢s heads.ââ¬~

He added: ââ¬ÅâœPeople talk about Travel 1.0 ad Travel 2.0 but is Travel 3.0 all about branding?ââ¬~

by Dinah Hatch

• PRINT
• SEND TO A FRIEND
• SHARE

Post your comment

Your Comments

, be the first to post a comment.
Your email:

Your comment title:


Your comment:

Email other comments made to this story

5 characters