Which kind of travel buyer are you ? Only about price ? Need human contact ? Could the internet be your enemy or your resource ? Internet vacation buying is back on the downcline. Why ?

About 6 years back, the climb in internet vacation purchasing went from 20% to almost 30%. The travel industry claimed this was due to the “mind set” that the internet advertising was getting across to many of it’s observers.  That internet buying was “how” you received your lower rates.  Whether true or not, such internet buying included flights, hotels, cruises etc. 

However, over the last 2 years, this percentage to internet buying is dribbling back down, more and more.  Claiming select internet vacation buyers are either:

·        *      More savvy and realizing, there’s more underlying rules to the offers they see online

·        *    Doing their homework more and learning the Internet offers are not necessarily lower than the more familiar sources they can purchase from

·         Discovering internet buying may not be the best way to avoid errors and misconceptions !

·         Missing that dependable voice of an agent, for their needed advice and insight.  How more and more questions arise, while getting closer to vacation

·         Turning more to the internet as a resource versus purchasing !

  

Travelpulse wrote an article, March 30, 2016.  Informing the industry, that now Google, will be offering travel.     And asked several agents, how this might affect them.

One of our personal agents responded, “Google will undoubtedly take market share from other online agencies”.  And also said, “But it will not affect agent market, because agents serve a totally different market !”

And he’s right in what else he said:  “Folks who book online are primarily shopping for price !  They don’t want human interaction !”

He’s also right in saying, “Those are NOT the clients that agents want !”  We’re not seeking these type of folks.  Agents want interaction. They want to talk with folks.  Provide them the best insight and best advice !  Agents want client, who too, want relationship building !  And our specific clients want the same.

Agents can offer low prices and amenities too !  With “all agents” able to offer the same “public pricing and offers” to all their customers … Relationship building, human interaction, and valuable insight/advice is just an added bonus !  And added bonus that internet buyers opt in forgoing !

Until they get in trouble !

 

And this is one of the main reasons the industry is claiming.  More and more folks have either discovered the disadvantage of “buying alone” by way of internet and/or heard enough horror stories from friends. 

The internet can’t actually “hear your thoughts”.  It’s just a booking engine.  Like buying a shirt online.  If it doesn’t let you choose your color, it doesn’t know you want blue !  And though it may offer blue, it doesn’t know, that you need this shirt to match a certain pair of pants you already have in your procession.

Today, the lives of the consumer are more complicated than black and white.  The vacationer may know, yes, I want this package.  Yes, I want this date.  But I want it in purple.  And I want to last till 10pm.  And I want it to include this 5^th person.  And I want to be able to make changes.

Hmmmm.  Generic packaging doesn’t necessarily have all this color; some have “none” !  And even if it does, how easy will it be for “you” in changing this color, on your own ?  And though changing color may have a cost, whether you buy from the net or an agent, will you know this color change cost prior, or discover the change cost is not presented till after you change the color ?   

 

Travelers are also becoming more savvy to where most major internet companies are buying their travel, such as cruises.  And that they, as a consumer, can buy directly from here too !  And that some of these distribution houses offer “human contact” too !  With the opportunity to purchase from the same agent, each time !

Cruises Inc is part of the Nation’s Largest Cruise-Only Distribution Houses !  Not only receive the same agent with each purchase, but an additional Customer Service Team, for those non-emergency non-advice generic type questions/needs.  

As more vacation buyer discover they are looking for more than “just best price” … To include that human contact/relationship building … Someone to help read between the lines, and know you meant “royal blue instead of navy” … Yet advice them that “red” is actually a better fit … Then internet buying will continue to decline and just rise higher as a resource !

There will most likely always be price only shopper who want no human contact !  Not only prepared in getting themselves out of their own box they created, but prefer looking up all their own answers online, whether rules are interpreted correctly or not.

And then there’s YOU !

(434/800) 237-3832.  If you will, mention my article when you call.


Next blog article ... See you April 27