LONDON, 6 June 2012 – Despite the state of the economy, 90% of British adults are planning a holiday in 2012, up from 82% who took a break last year. This is a key finding from Kantar Media Compete’s Online Shopper Intelligence Report, released today.
However, although other analysis from Kantar Media shows that budget and luxury holidays generate similar volumes of discussion in the press, holiday cost is a major concern for UK consumers. With 49% of the UK online population visiting the site in Q1 2012, EasyJet is the UK’s leading airline website. Travelodge and Premier Inn were the most popular hotels, seeing 54% and 52% of unique visitors respectively (compared to the Hilton and Marriott, which scored 10% each).
The Online Shopper Intelligence report also found that price was one of the key reasons holiday-makers gave for visiting airline and hotel websites to book the different elements of their trip separately, rather than using an online travel agent (OTA). 65% of people travelling by plane buy their tickets from the airline compared to 31% using an OTA, and 28% of hotel visitors arrange accommodation directly.
OTAs do see plenty of research traffic – online behavioural data from Kantar Media Compete shows that 72% of people going abroad and 50% of those travelling in the UK in April used sites such as Booking.com and Expedia to look into their travel initially. Although price was the primary factor determining their behaviour, consumers chose to make their bookings direct due also to the speed, choice, accuracy and ease with which bookings and changes could be made on airline and hotel websites.
Separate analysis by Kantar Media of travel articles in newspapers and magazines indicated that improved currency rates were making European destinations more affordable, thus supporting the findings of the Online Shopper Intelligence report: 41% of people taking a holiday in 2012 were going to Western Europe and 19% had chosen central and eastern Europe. But despite favourable exchange rates, 62% of consumers were intending to travel in the UK as a result of the Jubilee, Olympics and Paralympics.
For holidays taken in April this year, 80% of people staying in the UK used a car, with 49% of holiday-makers travelling abroad doing the same. Train journeys accounted for 19% of UK holidays and 15% of overseas ones, with bus trips scoring 17% and 18% respectively.
John Thekanady, Client Services Director, Kantar Media Compete, comments:
“One issue clearly flagged up by the report is that OTAs would benefit from taking a closer look at the needs of their audience and how they can meet them. This is particularly pertinent in view of the high reach of EasyJet that, with hire cars, hotels, package breaks, etc, is fulfilling the role of an OTA. The findings also indicate that there are untapped opportunities online for bus and rail companies. They could boost their digital sales significantly by improving their online marketing and distribution channels – particularly as the price of petrol continues to rise.”ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORSResearch methodologyKantar Media Compete conducts quarterly research into the online shopping habits of the UK population. This research covers the period from January to April 2012. The results were derived from Kantar Media Compete behavioural data and its Online Shopper Intelligence report of 1500 respondents to provide a snapshot of UK online shoppers, their behaviours and motivations. More information on Kantar Media Compete can be found at
www.kantarmedia.compete.com.
Kantar Media Intelligence research was is based on volume of coverage for ‘Holidays’, within the subject of ‘travel’, in mainstream UK print media, their online versions, and mainstream newswires, from 01/01/2012 – 23/04/2012.
About Kantar MediaKantar Media provides strategic advice and competitive intelligence to the world’s leading brands, publishers, agencies and industry bodies, helping them navigate and succeed in a rapidly evolving media industry. This includes analysis of paid media opportunities; counsel on brand reputation, corporate management and consumer engagement through owned media; and, evaluating consumers’ reactions in earned media. Kantar Media provides clients with a broad range of insights from audience research, competitive intelligence, vital consumer behavior and digital insights, to marketing effectiveness and online influence. Its experts currently work with 22,000 companies tracking 3 million brands in 50 countries. Kantar Media is a unit of Kantar, the consumer insight arm of WPP, the world’s largest communications services group.
www.Kantarmedia.comhttp://twitter.com/kantar_media.For further information and to receive the full report please contact:Helen Cooke
Marketing Manager, UK
Kantar Media Compete
hcooke@compete.com
+44 (0)20 7656 5442
+44 (0)7827 880 482
Teresa Horscroft / Kate Alexander
Eureka Communications
kate@eurekacomms.co.uk+44 (0)20 8543 8481
+44 (0)7788 584413