Travel Micro-Moments
April 18, 2018
What is a micro-moment and why should you care?
When you turn to a device looking to learn, discover, or find or buy something, you are creating a micro-moment. During this time, preferences and decisions are often made. These moments give tourism entities a perfect chance to influence potential visitors.
Dreaming
Sitting in a boring meeting, hearing a friend talk about their fantastic trip, or seeing an ad about a destination—all of these can spark an “I want to get away” moment. In this moment, they will turn to their device to look more into getting away. It’s important to kindle that spark of desire to travel. Mobile is huge—60% of searches for destination information are coming from mobile devices. 1 in 3 travelers say they haven’t typically decided on a specific destination, so it’s the perfect time to bring out all the bells and whistles. Be inspiring. People look at 10 images on average when dreaming about vacationing—the greatest engagement is with the main image. Don’t bog them down with details or try to get them to commit to booking at this time, they just want to get excited by the idea of visiting your destination. So show it off!
Planning
Once they are inspired and are dreaming about visiting your destination, travelers move into a “Time to make a plan” moment. This is your chance to add in a bit more detail about your destination. They are looking at hotels and flights, reading stories about what others have done there—the logistics of their travel plans—and the majority of visitors do it on their phones. 70% of travelers with a smartphone have done travel research on their smartphone. Now, more than ever, it’s important to have a mobile-responsive website that is inspiring and easy to navigate.
Booking
After visitors have decided that their plans are feasible, they are ready to start booking the trip—the “Let’s book it” moment. Here is where device really matters. 46% of mobile travelers say they make decisions on mobile, but then book on another device. Mobile limitations and usability is usually the reason for the switch to another device, which can often delay booking or sometimes derail it entirely. What can you do to keep the ball rolling and make it easier for visitors looking to book on mobile? Here are a few tips:
- Implement one-click functionality
- Help the traveler fill in forms
- Put call-to-action front and center
- Decrease the amount of steps to book
- Decrease loading time—any wait will make them question whether they want to continue
Experiencing
They’ve booked—congratulations! Now what? Visitors move into a “Can’t wait to explore” moment. It’s during this time you want to keep up the feel-good feelings. Now make sure they enjoy their time in your destination and, of course, feed your local economy with tourist dollars. The best way to sustain a destination’s success is to encourage your visitors to get out and engage in experiences. 67% of travelers feel more loyal towards a travel company that shares information during their trip that improves their travel experience.
Is your brand easily accessible during each of these micro-moments?
