2017 is knocking on our doors. Most of us are more than ready to see what a new year will bring! 2016 brought big changes from Google, partially due to the huge growth from mobile and the stronger performance of mobile e-commerce. It’s also been a big year for emerging technologies, and new advertising opportunities on social media.
Those changes are driving the new landscapes in 2017. For 2017, mobile is fulfilling its promise, with payment technologies letting mobile bookings catch up to mobile traffic. Additionally, big players are making pay-for-play a more central part of strategies, new channels like Airbnb are offering opportunities for the savvy hotelier, and voice and video are growing by leaps and bounds.
Here’s what we’re predicting:
- Mobile Leading Everything: From mobile-first designs to Google’s Mobile First Index to up to 60% of mobile traffic for hotels, mobile is leading everything in 2017. Hotels should be formulating their online persence, from content to advertisements, for the mobile user as of Q1 2017. (Source)
- Mobile Payments Set to Explode: Payments on mobile are moving past the credit card, opening the doorway for mobile conversions to finally catch up with mobile traffic. From Paypal to Apple Pay, innovative payment methods are making mobile bookings easier. (Source)
- Tablet in Slow Decline: The tablet is in decline. The mid-sized device is being overshadowed by phones with large screens and high specs on one end, and lightweight laptops like the Chrombook on the other. (Source)
- Major Shifts in Paid Search Space: More text ads, Google’s new Extended Text Ads, and new competitors like Airbnb from the sharing economy call for new paid search strategies. (Source)
- Hotels Selling Stock on New Channels: Hotels are finding more innovative ways to sell their room stock, including new channels. Outlets like Airbnb offer an opportunity for the savvy hotelier, even as they come with their own set of challenges.
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