How consumers use mobile devices to research and book travel

Google has published some statistics on how people are using mobile devices in travel decisionmaking processes.

Some highlights:

• 40% of visits to US travel sites and 60% of searches for information about destinations come from mobile devices.
• Mobile devices account for about 67% of the watch time for popular travel videos on YouTube.
• 70% of travelers with smartphones use them to research travel.
• When planning travel, search is the most common way in which people find the brand ultimately booked.
• Nearly 60% of leisure travelers say a trip was their largest discretionary purchase in the past year.
• 31% of leisure travelers and 53% of business travelers say they have booked travel on a smartphone.
• 85% of leisure travelers only decide on activities at the destination.
• Numbers of searches via smartphone from hotel properties were up by 30% last year.

These findings have some obvious implications for travel businesses and destinations:

• Have a mobile-friendly Web site.
• Make sure it’s visible in search.
• Advertise on sites that are frequented by and accessible to users of mobile devices.
• There’s a lot of money on the table here: optimize the ability of your advertising, marketing and online information to convert.
• If customers need to book your offerings (e.g., lodging, tours) , make them easily bookable online.
• If you provide activities, recreation, local tours, etc. at a destination: be very visible in local searches. And it wouldn’t hurt to keep on the good side of hotel concierges in your area.