23 July 2009

Travel websites lagging behind other sectors, finds survey

A benchmark survey has shown the online travel industry is lagging behind other sectors when it comes to website engagement and customer service.

In the first eTravel Benchmark survey from online research specialist, eDigitalResearch, 18 ferry, cruise and airline websites were compared in seven key areas ranging from first impressions to the search and booking process.

When measured using the net promoter score to find out which are most likely to be recommended through word of mouth, travel companies achieved an average score of 5.

In other recent eDigitalResearch benchmarking studies, the retail sector scored 27, finance 18 and car manufacturing 7.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœThe online travel sector is clearly lagging behind,Ã¢â¬~ said the survey.

Overall, ferry operators fared better in the survey with P&O Ferries emerging as the top performer and Stena Line second.

Airlines, however, were let down by poor first impressions and disappointing customer service.

When measured on telephone customer service, only British Airways made it into the top 10 rankings, rated seventh, and just two airlines (Virgin Atlantic and BA) scored highly enough to make the top 10 for email customer service.

The results indicate that online travel sites need to look beyond the Ã¢â¬ËœwowÃ¢â¬â¢ factor and work harder at improving the entire end to end website experience, said eDigitalResearch.

Head of Research Derek Eccleston said: Ã¢â¬ÅâœWhat is interesting about this study is the fact that although there are clear leaders in certain categories, there is not one operator who has managed to tick all the boxes consistently.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœIn a sector whose customers are particularly promiscuous Ã¢â¬' switching brands for a better deal, looking for recommendations and picking the purchase channel that most suits them at that particular time Ã¢â¬' failing to perform well across the board is more than a missed opportunity, it is commercial suicide.Ã¢â¬~

Based on overall performance, the 18 websites were ranked as follows, with their overall score indicated:

P&O Ferries 86.1%
StenaLine 84.9%
Princess Cruises 84.7%
Thomson Flights 84.3%
P&O Cruises 84.1%
Brittany Ferries 83.3%
British Airways 81.8%
SeaFrance 81.3%
Virgin Atlantic 79.6%
Royal Caribbean Cruises
79.4%
easyJet 78.0%
Cunard 77.3%
Fred Olsen Cruises 77.0%
Ryanair 76.9%
bmibaby 76.3%
Celebrity Cruises 75.0%
Monarch 74.0%
Eurotunnel 68.2%

The eTravel Benchmark survey will be repeated in September.

For the full presentation visit:
https://ecustomeropinions.com/survey/survey.php?sid=222643292

By Bev Fearis