Mobile phone bookings fall in popularity
The PC continues to be by far the most popular booking device, with mobile phone bookings down year-on-year, according to ABTA’s Holiday Habits Report 2016.
Mobile phones are less popular as a device for booking than they were a year ago, with 13% of people stating that they booked a holiday using a mobile phone in the past year, down from an average of 16% in 2015.
The exception is the 35-44 year-old age group, where mobile bookings are up 3% from 16% to 19%.
There are particularly notable falls among 18-24 year olds and those aged over 55.
Bookings on tablets have remained fairly flat since last year, with 23% of online bookers using them compared to 24% last year.
An increase in 35-54 year olds using them has been offset by a fall in 18-24 year olds doing so.
The vast majority – 92% – use a PC to book. Those aged 25-34 were the least likely to use a PC but the most likely to use a tablet with almost four in 10 (37%) doing so.
ABTA says the reason could be that people find the mobile booking experience more difficult. The research shows 44% of people found booking with a mobile phone easy compared to 80% who said the same about booking with a PC.
Just over half (54%) stated that booking with a tablet was easy.
Lisa
Lisa joined Travel Weekly nearly 25 years ago as technology reporter and then sailed around the world for a couple of years as cruise correspondent, before becoming deputy editor. Now freelance, Lisa writes for various print and web publications, edits Corporate Traveller’s client magazine, Gateway, and works on the acclaimed Remembering Wildlife series of photography books, which raise awareness of nature’s most at-risk species and helps to fund their protection.
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