The millennial youth travel demographic represents a huge proportion of holiday-goers that research and book their trips using web and mobile. Long gone are the days of travel brochures and dealing with travel agents when planning a journey. So how can you make sure your service gives the best user experience for the travel hungry millennial audience?
We have completed extensive user journey mapping and looked at eight of the top youth travel sites. These include STA Travel, Trailfinders, Gapyear.com, Contiki, Realgap, Gap360, i-to-i and Geckos Adventures.
The steps in the journey were as follows:
- Finding an adventure
According to Google’s research paper “The 2014 Traveller’s Road to Decision”, two-thirds of travellers research their holidays on web and mobile long before they actually decide where to go and how to get there. Many of these travellers go into planning a trip undecided on the company they will use. It is therefore important to engage these casual browsers with clear starting points on the homepage and inspiration for their adventure.
Important components to consider include:
- a simple trip finder
- offers and suggested itineraries
- social sharing
- credibility enhancers
- teasers
- bespoke service where possible.
The cost of an adventure has to be justified; therefore information needs to be presented not only about the trip but also about the value of the trip to the traveller. With a huge volume of information to present, it is also vital that good writing practices are followed throughout – both on web and mobile. Another powerful way to push information is through the use of video. According to research more than two-fifths of travellers’ are inspired to travel by YouTube content. 2. Making a commitment
Trip fees need to be easy to find and once a decision is made it should be extremely easy for the visitor to take the next step to book the trip. According to OptiLead 2014, more than 8 out of 10 customers abandon online travel bookings. Call-to-action buttons need to be large and visually clear, with a good amount of breathing room around them making it easier to see and click on.
Featuring user-generated content at the point of purchase can also boost conversion by up to 7%. A consistent brand experience will use a number of channels to communicate with customers including desktop, smartphone and tablet devices.
- Preparing for the trip
Travelling companions can make or break an experience. Travel providers should make a conscious effort to encourage travellers to interact with one another prior to their trip using forums, social connections and meet-ups.
Travellers should also be supported with in-depth advice such as planning their journey, responsible travelling, safety precautions, and information on volunteering and working abroad.
In summary
In a world where an online purchase is more about the experience and where social marketing, video content and community-based information is becoming more important; it is clear that youth travel sites could do more to fill this gap in the customer journey. The Millennial Travel User Experience Evaluation will help you articulate your message clearly and provide a smooth user experience towards purchase, for your customers.
As technological developments advance at a phenomenal pace, the winner will be the company that is proactive rather than reactive to digital trends. They will be the ones who build more meaningful relationships with millennial travellers, and reap the rewards in terms of turnover and engagement.
