Travel websites lagging behind other sectors, finds survey - TravelMole


Travel websites lagging behind other sectors, finds survey

Tuesday, 23 Jul, 2009 0

A benchmark survey has shown the online travel industry is lagging behind other sectors when it comes to website engagement and customer service.

In the first eTravel Benchmark survey from online research specialist, eDigitalResearch, 18 ferry, cruise and airline websites were compared in seven key areas ranging from first impressions to the search and booking process.

When measured using the net promoter score to find out which are most likely to be recommended through word of mouth, travel companies achieved an average score of 5.

In other recent eDigitalResearch benchmarking studies, the retail sector scored 27, finance 18 and car manufacturing 7.

“The online travel sector is clearly lagging behind,” said the survey.

Overall, ferry operators fared better in the survey with P&O Ferries emerging as the top performer and Stena Line second.

Airlines, however, were let down by poor first impressions and disappointing customer service.

When measured on telephone customer service, only British Airways made it into the top 10 rankings, rated seventh, and just two airlines (Virgin Atlantic and BA) scored highly enough to make the top 10 for email customer service.

The results indicate that online travel sites need to look beyond the ‘wow’ factor and work harder at improving the entire end to end website experience, said eDigitalResearch.

Head of Research Derek Eccleston said: “What is interesting about this study is the fact that although there are clear leaders in certain categories, there is not one operator who has managed to tick all the boxes consistently.

“In a sector whose customers are particularly promiscuous – switching brands for a better deal, looking for recommendations and picking the purchase channel that most suits them at that particular time – failing to perform well across the board is more than a missed opportunity, it is commercial suicide.”

Based on overall performance, the 18 websites were ranked as follows, with their overall score indicated:

P&O Ferries 86.1%
StenaLine 84.9%
Princess Cruises 84.7%
Thomson Flights 84.3%
P&O Cruises 84.1%
Brittany Ferries 83.3%
British Airways 81.8%
SeaFrance 81.3%
Virgin Atlantic 79.6%
Royal Caribbean Cruises
79.4%
easyJet 78.0%
Cunard 77.3%
Fred Olsen Cruises 77.0%
Ryanair 76.9%
bmibaby 76.3%
Celebrity Cruises 75.0%
Monarch 74.0%
Eurotunnel 68.2%

The eTravel Benchmark survey will be repeated in September.

For the full presentation visit:
https://ecustomeropinions.com/survey/survey.php?sid=222643292

By Bev Fearis



Related News Stories:  



 

profileimage

Bev

Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.



Most Read

Bubba O’Keefe on Clarksdale’s Vibrant Music Scene

Commemorating Elvis and Embracing Tupelo’s Culture with Jennie Bradford Curlee

Craig Ray and the Expansion of the Blues Trail

Presenting Mississippi’s Cultural Trails with Katie Coats

Robert Terrell: A Journey Through BB King’s Influence

Rochelle Hicks: Celebrating Mississippi’s Musical Legacy

Exploring Jacksonville with Katie Mitura: The Flip Side of Florida

Tricia Handley-Hughes of Inteletravel announces the location for the TravelQuest 2025 conference

Insights from James Ferrara on Inteletravel’s Growth and Future

Tricia Handley-Hughes on Inteletravel’s Growth and Challenges

Tony from Gatto’s Pizza on Columbus’s Unique Pizza Trail

Sophia Hyder Hock on Global Social Inclusion in Tourism
TRAINING & COMPETITION

Our emails to you has bounced travelmole.com Or You can change your email from your profile Setting Section

Your region selection will be saved in your cookie for future visits. Please enable your cookie for TravelMole.com so this dialog box will not come up again.

Price Based Country test mode enabled for testing United States (US). You should do tests on private browsing mode. Browse in private with Firefox, Chrome and Safari

true