Mobile trends in the travel industry

Mobile technology is a growing extension of the digital world. New innovations in wearable tech, artificial intelligence and apps are growing mobile trends. With 24% of online travel sales being attributed to mobile in 2016 and a share of 32% of online travel sale by 2020. The opportunity to reach customer by mobile is becoming more attractive. Here are our 3 top mobile trends for the travel industry.

1. Mobile Apps

Apps are not a new trend in the travel industry but with recent developments there have been more to choose from i.e. Google Trips , concierge apps, to mobile guest welcome books. Think with Google’s research on how consumer use their mobiles for travel, the report suggest 25% use apps to search for accommodation.

When researching a mobile app for your business, there are many off the shelf solutions to choose from. These normally allow  you to customise the look and content of the app without having to do any software development. The second option is to look to develop your own app unique for your business. You can incur high costs as software development is not cheep. If you go down this route to develop your own research what your audience want and keep the design  simple.

Opportunities don’t stop with creating your own app. Having a strong presence for your travel company on social media platforms such as Instagram will enable you to further reach your audience.  Understanding and extending your customer journey  through mobile will help build customer loyalty programs through to improving your marketing.

2. Wearables

With the likes of the Apple watch and fitness trackers, wearable technology is a growing market. Recently Universal for their theme park TapuTapu have introduced wearable wristband to allow customers to ‘virtually’ queue for their rides and pay for merchandise in the park. We have seen a rise in cashless payments. With the tech advances in wearables and biometric identification consumers trust and adoption of cashless transactions will increase.

Other ways in which wearable technology is being used in the industry is to open room doors in hotels through to boarding passes on flights. Virtual reality technology has tied into the wearable technology sector. The large travel brand trailing bookings on the headsets by showcasing holidays to their customers. This could disrupt the way consumers book and plan their holidays in the future.

3. Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We feel AI one of the big trends of 2017. Companies like TripAdvisor have been adopting the use of chatbots in Facebook messenger. Chatbots in messaging apps isn’t the only way they have been integrated in travel company. Hilton has used chatbots in a front of house service and the Dorchester Collection used them for data analysis of their customers.

AI has also been an important aspect in the development of voice activated technology for your home, Amazon’s Alexa, Google Home are all set to disrupt the travel industry. With the AI voice technology being able to search and book flights or act as a concierge service. The technology won’t replace human interactions as a business. This will provide an alternative source of information when on holiday and expand a business’s reach to consumers in their homes.

The mobile trends listed are a few way in which business have and will be adopting mobile technology in the travel industry. The technology will be an influence on customer experiences and allow for an enhance personalisation in their buying journey. As business embed the technology in their products and services, we can expect to see further developments.

Did you know the iPro platform allows you to use our booking system on a mobile device?

If you’re looking for a new booking management system, book a demo today! Let us show you the benefits of managing your holiday rental business on the go.