Hey Alexa, book me a trip to Paris…
Why do airlines sell flight and hotel packages for less than flights alone? Because the market is shifting. Why do hotels offer mobile discounts? Because the market is shifting. Travel brands are realizing that users are precious, and controlling all of your travel is far better than some. A truly fascinating study has just emerged from OAG, the travel tech giant behind most airline related data, and despite many interesting revelations – one stood far above the rest. The internet wants Amazon to launch a travel business, and they just might.
Google has made a resounding impact in the travel world with the continuous development of Maps, Google Flights, Trips and more. The best hotel rates, flight prices and recommendations are just a click away from any Google search. Which begs the question – where are the other tech giants? As a premier deal finding site, people often ask how we find the best flight prices, and to the dismay of many, the answer is generally just using the powerful but simple tools of Google Flights. Amazon is the “other” giant out there, with the potential to curate and “disrupt” any travel booking and discovery process, not at all unlike a repeat Amazon Prime order. Could Amazon be “prime-d” to enter the market? Regardless of the answer, we know you loved the pun!
44% Of Travelers Want Amazon
The OAG study posed on fascinating question to the over 2,000 surveyed travelers. “Which consumer or social platforms would you consider booking travel with in the future?”. The answer: 14% said Facebook, and a stunning 44% chose Amazon. Other brands were substantially lower. Interestingly, 49% of consumers chose Paypal as their preferred source of payment going forward, while 42% of respondents included Apple Pay in preferred choices and 22% mentioned Google Pay. For the payment survey, more than one answer choice was allowed. What’s perhaps most interesting to this author, is the concept of a “Prime” subscription for travel, with built in benefits for consumers, with brands competing to offer “Prime” subscribers the best deal.
It’s said that almost every great travel business operates under a simple theory: eliminate clicks, one by one. Perhaps that’s why this particular travel business is rarely considered great! Wink, wink. With the user base, infrastructure and following of a company like Amazon, the ability to transform a travel market place is tremendous. Could someone with their credit card and user details saved into their favorite Alexa AI device simply say “book my vacation to New York”. Why not? After all, Amazon knows what you like…
HT: Biz Journals. Thanks to Laptop Travel for sending this along.
Featured Image Copyright: adrianhancu / 123RF Stock Photo
Amazon, Google, and Apple are all trying to build services that will automate peoples’ lives and handle every whim. They trust these brands and don’t like all of the bait and switch that many hotels and airlines do with their pricing. Customers expect transparency and they feel that Amazon can deliver for them while saving them money and time.
Lee, the problem with this is that Amazon, Apple, or Google will still have to deal with the fickle nature of the airlines and hotels!! Possibly the consumer would then think they were treated fairly, but it’s all just a ruse to take more of your money.
tech stocks are due for a correction. but as soon as they take a dive, I will load up on Amazon and Google for sure.
Not so certain about apples future though!