Consumers don’t like booking holidays on a smartphone. That is the conclusion of leisure market analyst Mintel in its most up-to-date review of the UK holiday market.
Holiday bookings on a smartphone remain “relatively uncommon” and “are still unpopular among consumers”, Mintel concludes in its Holiday Review UK report, which identifies the latest trends in the sector.
“Fewer than 3% [of people] booked their last holiday via smartphones,” Mintel found in research carried out in November, despite most bookings being made online.
“Most holidaymakers book their trip on a laptop or desktop. Mobile bookings on tablets and smartphones are still relatively low.” This is despite the fact that “76% of UK consumers own a smartphone, and tablets are present in 56% of households”.
Mintel notes 27% of respondents in its survey of 2,000 internet users said they were “just as happy to book on their smartphone” as on a laptop or desktop. But almost half (46%) of online holiday bookers said they wouldn’t be happy to book on a smartphone and 27% were unsure.
However, Mintel still considers there to be “scope to increase bookings via this channel”. It found 40% of 16-35-year-olds would be just as happy to book on a smartphone and suggests “mobile booking could be the norm once under-16s reach an age where they start to holiday themselves”.
Mintel suggests: “Brands need to make sure their smartphone booking process is fluid, while addressing privacy concerns.
