Survey Finds That One in Two Smartphone Owners
Use Their Smartphone to Prep for a Trip
Switchfly, Inc., the technology company powering travel
commerce and loyalty point redemption solutions for the world’s
most celebrated brands, today announced from Mobile World Congress
the findings of its Q1 2015 Trend Report on The Mobile Experience
and Travel. Switchfly commissioned the research to determine
consumer sentiment about booking and managing travel on a mobile
device. The survey was conducted online by Harris Poll on behalf of
Switchfly in early February 2015 among 2,015 American adults aged
18+, of whom 1,192 (67 percent) own and use a smartphone. The
survey found that more than half (52 percent) of smartphone owners
would book travel on their smartphone and 46 percent of smartphone
owners would book an impulse vacation based on a push notification
or mobile alert they received on their smartphone.
Furthermore, the survey found that 57 percent of smartphone
owners who vacation are using their smartphones to help prepare for
a vacation, from research to booking flights and accommodations.
The most common reason they use a smartphone to plan a vacation is
to research travel destinations (32 percent). More than one-fourth,
or 27 percent, use a smartphone to store boarding
passes/confirmation emails. Additionally, almost one in five use
smartphones to book accommodations (18 percent) and flights (17
percent).
“By the end of the decade, 6 billion smart phones will be in
use. Mobile will be the primary point of access to web and is
closing in on TV for number of minutes used per day. It is becoming
our primary computing platform. The Travel Gold Rush starts with
the mobile UX,” said Daniel Farrar, CEO, Switchfly.
“Smartphones promote real-time participation and
living-in-the-moment for their owners. We are able to take part in
events and share reactions and ideas with others instantly. We are
using smartphones daily to share important experiences, create
social bonds and engage with brands. As our trend report
shows, this is a huge opportunity for the travel industry.”
Smartphone and Travel Booking Trends
46 percent of smartphone owners would book an impulse vacation
based on any push notification or mobile alert received on their
phone stated that they would book a trip if:
- It’s an amazing deal on a hotel and
flight (31 percent)
- It’s perfect timing – they were already
looking for a vacation (24 percent)
- It’s an all-inclusive deal (20
percent)
- They have a group of friends willing to
go with them (15 percent)
- The destination is somewhere they’ve
never been before (14 percent)
- They’re feeling spontaneous (14
percent)
Additionally, smartphone owners have ever used their phones to
book a hotel (21 percent); tickets for a concert, show, or sporting
event (21 percent); air travel (13 percent); car rental (8
percent); car service (7 percent); and cruise (35 percent).
Nearly half of smartphone owners between ages 18 and 34 (48
percent) compared to only 14 percent of those 65 and older have
ever used their smartphones to book anything. Further highlighting
the younger generation’s acceptance of mobile travel planning and
booking, those between the ages of 18 and 34 were more likely to
book an impulse vacation based on push notification or mobile alert
received on their phone (59 percent) than those 65 and older (27
percent).
Most Important Features When Booking Travel on
Smartphones
52 percent of smartphone owners stated that they would book
travel on their smartphones. Smartphone owners stated that the most
important features when booking travel on their smartphone
included:
- Security connection and payment systems
(32 percent)
- User friendly website (31 percent)
- Price comparison tool (28 percent)
- The website is designed for mobile use
(21 percent)
- Hotel/restaurant recommendation/ratings
(18 percent)
- Easy-to-use seat selection (18
percent)
- Issues mobile boarding passes (13
percent)
- Booking through the app, not a mobile
site (10 percent)
- Integration with other apps, profiles
or programs (8 percent)
Of those who said they would book travel on a smartphone, secure
connections and payment systems are important to more women than
men (69 percent and 54 percent), and more women than men said a
user-friendly website is important to them (65 percent and 56
percent). Additionally, 58 percent of women compared to 50 percent
of men said price comparison tool is one of the most important
features when booking travel on their smartphone.
Most Used Mobile Apps and Functions When Traveling
Map apps are most used by smartphone owners when traveling (45
percent) followed by social networking apps (42 percent), game apps
(25 percent), news apps (20 percent), traveler recommendation apps
(18 percent), airline apps (17 percent), texting apps (16 percent),
hotel apps (13 percent), hotel check-in (9 percent), sports apps (9
percent), translation apps (9 percent), car or transportation
service apps (8 percent), dating apps (4 percent) and keyless entry
to a hotel room (2 percent). More men than women use sports apps
(15 percent and 3 percent) and transportation apps (11 percent and
5 percent).
Consumer’s Biggest Concerns When Traveling with
Smartphones
Smartphone owners’ biggest concerns when traveling with their
smartphones included:
- Having it stolen or lost (48
percent)
- Forgetting a charger (44 percent)
- Getting charged for roaming (36
percent)
- Not being able to find WiFi, free or
paid (34 percent)
- Paying extra international fees (27
percent)
- Forgetting an electrical outlet adapter
(22 percent)
Those between ages 18 and 34 were more concerned than those 65
and older about having their phone stolen or lost (54 percent and
41 percent), forgetting a charger (49 percent and 39 percent),
getting charged for roaming (39 percent and 28 percent), not being
able to find WiFi, free or paid (42 percent and 30 percent), paying
extra international fees (39 percent and 18 percent), and
forgetting an electrical outlet adapter (28 percent and 15
percent).
For more information on Switchfly and other Quarterly Trend
Reports, please visit http://www.switchfly.com/reports.
ABOUT SWITCHFLY
Switchfly, Inc. is a global technology company that powers
travel commerce and loyalty redemption solutions for some of the
world’s most recognizable brands across airlines, hotels, financial
services and ecommerce. World-class products delivered via a
flexible software-as-a-service platform allow clients to easily
launch and maintain a complete omnichannel travel and loyalty
experience. Tailored to client needs and business rules while
maintaining a full brand match, Switchfly solutions drive customer
engagement, enhance brand loyalty and increase profit. Founded in
2003 and headquartered in San Francisco, the Company generates more
than $1.25 billion USD in revenue for its clients annually and
facilitates the redemption of more than 35 billion reward points
and miles annually. The company’s global client roster includes
American Airlines, Emirates, JetBlue and LAN Airlines; IAG Avios,
Lufthansa Miles & More and United MileagePlus; InterContinental
Hotels Group and Starwood Hotels; Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline and
Groupon. For more information,
visit http://www.switchfly.com.
Survey Methodology
This survey was conducted online within the United States by
Harris Interactive on behalf of Switchfly from February 6-10, 2015
among 2,015 U.S. adults ages 18 and older, of whom 1,192 are
smartphone owners. This online survey is not based on a probability
sample and therefore no estimate of theoretical sampling error can
be calculated. For complete survey methodology, including weighting
variables, please contact Alia Dudum.
SwitchflyAlia Dudum,
415-963-9626Alia.dudum@grayling.com