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A STUDY has found that 44 percent of travelers would be comfortable booking a vacation on Amazon if it were to venture into the travel sphere.
Technology has been a disruptive enabler in the travel industry since online booking platforms such as Booking.com and alternative app-based options such as Airbnb sprung onto the market.
Consumers have become used to fast payments and instant bookings in as little as five clicks on their smartphones.
“Convenience, speed, and customer experience rule the travel ecosystem – and the booking and payment process is no exception,”OAG chief technology officer Mike Benjamin said in a statement.
What do the results say?
After surveying 2,164 US-based travelers, OAG discovered 28 percent of people would be comfortable booking through automated chat agents on the website. Another 25 percent said they would let mobile assistants such as Siri and OK Google do the research and book for them.
Another 20 percent said they would be happy to book a whole vacation via text messages and nine percent said they would trust social media messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp.
Voice automated systems like Google Home also made it onto the nontraditional list with 18 percent of those surveyed saying they would book via IoT (Internet of Things) technology.
Individual technologies aside, OAG asked respondents which nonconventional platforms they would like to use to book trips.
That’s when Amazon shone through with 44 percent of travelers saying they would consider booking a trip with the e-commerce giant.
Facebook also got a worthy mention but only 14 percent said they would consider the social media juggernaut as an option.
“Travelers are already relying on social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook for customer service,” Benjamin added.
“While we don’t expect a major shift in the travel booking market overnight, the threat of new startups and major tech players radically simplifying or transforming the experience should not be discounted.”
Aside from booking methods, OAG also delved into payment options, with e-wallets making a big splash.
Of those surveyed, 49 percent mentioned PayPal as a payment method for trips and travel-related activities.
Apple Pay and Google Wallet also got a mention as trusted e-wallets.
“All eyes are on the travel booking landscape. Today’s consumers have more channels, technologies, and platforms to book travel through than ever before,” added Benjamin.
The post Would you book a vacation through Amazon or Facebook? appeared first on Travel Wire Asia.
Source: travelwireasia.com