Mobile travel planning is one of the fastest growing sectors in e-commerce. Travel search engine KAYAK.sg has analysed its data to compare how

Transcription

1 Mobile travel planning is one of the fastest growing sectors in e-commerce. Travel search engine KAYAK.sg has analysed its data to compare how Singaporean travellers behave when searching on KAYAK s iphone and Android apps, versus desktop users on KAYAK.sg. Through this analysis, KAYAK s data experts reveal the latest travel search trends for Singaporean mobile users.

2 Table of contents Travel Trends: what Singaporeans are searching for online Favourite destinations are consistently within Asia Most popular mobile platforms: Singaporeans prefer searching for travel via the app Cabin classes: Singaporean iphone users are more likely to fly business class than users on other platforms Hotel star ratings: searching for mid-range to high-end hotels is the norm Purchasing power: how much Singaporeans are willing to spend on travel Spending on popular destinations: Singaporean desktop users are the least price sensitive Spending on expensive destinations: Singaporeans prefer desktop to mobile when searching and booking expensive flights Spending on 4 and 5 star hotels: Singaporean iphone users search for luxury hotels more than users on other platforms Time: how much time Singaporeans dedicate to searching and booking travel Flights: Singaporean desktop users take the most time searching for flights Hotels: Singaporeans spend the same amount of time searching for hotels on any device Top weekdays to search: Singaporeans search for travel on their desktop at work, then switch to mobile on Monday evenings and Sundays Top time of the day to search: the busiest time for travel searches differs between mobile and desktop When Singaporeans book: Singaporean desktop users book less in advance than mobile users Average length of trip: Singaporeans prefer shorter trips, but when searching for long trips, tend to use a desktop computer Mobile Travel Personas iphone Android Desktop Mobile Travel Facts & Hacks

3 Travel Trends What Singaporeans are searching for online

4 Favourite destinations are consistently within Asia Research has shown that the favourite holiday destinations searched for among Singaporeans are similar across all platforms and that travellers top destinations are mostly within Asia. Bangkok is the number one destination across all platforms, with Hong Kong, Denpasar (Bali), and Tokyo all in the top 5. Destinations searched for further afield include London (the fifth favourite destination for both iphone and Desktop users) and New York. Similarities can be drawn with users in other regions. Bangkok is also popular across all platforms for Australian, Hong Kong and UK users, and while it sits at number one for Singaporean travellers, it is number 8 for Australians and the second most popular for Hong Kongers and Brits. Android iphone Desktop Bangkok Bangkok Bangkok 01 Taipei Hong Kong Denpasar (Bali) Hong Kong Seoul Tokyo Tokyo Denpasar (Bali) London Hong Kong Tokyo London Denpasar (Bali) Kuala Lumpur London Manila Taipei Seoul Manila Kuala Lumpur Seoul Phuket Taipei Manila Phuket Phuket New York

5 Most popular mobile platforms: Singaporeans prefer searching for travel via the app KAYAK found that of all mobile travel searches, 74% occurred in the app. This indicates that when on a phone or tablet, Singaporeans prefer the usability of the app over the mobile or tablet-optimised website. The iphone app is by far the most popular mobile platform, accounting for almost half (44%) of all mobile searches. The iphone app is also the most frequently used mobile platform in Australia, Hong Kong, and most of Europe, with the exception of Poland and Spain, where the majority of mobile travel searches are conducted on the Android app. 12% ipad 9% Tablet browser 44% iphone 17% 18% Mobile browser Android

6 Cabin classes: Singaporean iphone users are more likely to fly business class than users on other platforms Singaporean travellers overwhelmingly prioritise value over comfort, with more than 90% of users across all platforms searching for economy flights. iphone users are more likely to search for business class flights than those using other platforms. First Business Economy Premium Economy 96% 96% 94% 3% 5% 3% <1% <1% <1% 1% 1% 1% Android iphone Desktop Android iphone Desktop Android iphone Desktop Android iphone Desktop

7 Hotel star ratings: searching for mid-range to high-end hotels is the norm The majority of Singaporeans prefer to search for mid-range to high-end hotels, with less than 12% of all searches across Android, iphone and desktop being for hotels ranked 2 stars or below. iphone and desktop users both show a preference for the finer things in life, with 28% of all searches for accommodation being made for 5-star luxury hotels; slightly more than Android users (24%). Stars: 39% 38% 37% 25% 24% 23% 28% 24% 1% 8% 2% 9% 8% Android iphone Desktop

8 Purchasing power How much Singaporeans are willing to spend on travel

9 Spending on popular destinations: Singaporean desktop users are the least price sensitive Singaporean desktop users are less price sensitive than mobile users when searching and booking travel online. This would indicate that despite the growing trend in mobile travel planning, Singaporeans are still more confident spending higher amounts on their desktop than on mobile devices. Singaporean travellers spend on average up to 12% more on their preferred destinations on desktop compared to mobile. Looking at the split on mobile, Android and iphone users show similar tendencies, with average Android expenditure on popular destinations just 3% higher than that on iphone. These findings are in contrast to Britain, Australia and Hong Kong, whose iphone users spend more on trips to popular destinations than Android users. When it comes to the ten most popular destinations, KAYAK data experts note that on average, flights booked by Singaporeans on their desktop are more expensive than those booked on mobile. It could indicate that Singaporean travellers using desktop have a fixed idea of when they want to fly, as opposed to mobile users who seem to be more flexible on timing and may browse for better deals while on the go. Average spending - top 10 most popular destinations (SGD) SGD Android iphone Desktop Mobile

10 Spending on popular destinations: Singaporean desktop users are the least price sensitive Popular Destinations Popular Destinations Popular Destinations SGD SGD SGD 01 Bangkok 216 Bangkok 237 Bangkok Taipei 376 Hong Kong 317 Denpasar (Bali) Hong Kong 294 Tokyo 764 Hong Kong Seoul 932 Denpasar (Bali) 283 Tokyo Tokyo 722 London 1666 London Denpasar (Bali) 274 Taipei 444 Seoul Kuala Lumpur 88 Seoul 752 Phuket London 1856 Manila 313 Taipei Manila 291 Kuala Lumpur 99 Manila Phuket 198 Phuket 238 New York 2161 Android iphone Desktop

11 Spending on expensive destinations: Singaporeans prefer desktop to mobile when searching and booking expensive flights When searching for flights to the most expensive destinations, Singaporean travellers still far prefer to use their desktop computer, with a willingness to spend up to 39% more on desktop than on mobile devices. This could be explained by the series of filters available on the KAYAK.sg desktop site, which allow users to tailor their searches according to extensive criteria. From a mobile perspective, Singaporeans spend 37% more on expensive destinations on iphone than on Android. This gap in spending between Singaporean iphone and Android users is significantly higher than that for Australian and Hong Kong mobile users, who spend 2% and 16% more on iphone respectively. 39% more spend on expensive destinations on desktop than on mobile 37% more spend on expensive destinations on iphone than on Android Many of the expensive flights Singaporean travellers search for are for destinations outside the Asia Pacific region and are quite different across devices. The three top 10 lists contain 26 unique destinations, suggesting that users of different platforms have very disparate ideas when it comes to spending on expensive destinations. No destination appears in all three lists, however, Buenos Aires is in the top ten expensive destinations for iphone and desktop, while New York, Frankfurt and Los Angeles are in the list for both iphone and Android users.

12 Average spending - top 10 premium destinations (GBP) SGD Android iphone Desktop Mobile Expensive Destinations Expensive Destinations Expensive Destinations SGD SGD SGD 01 New York 1539 Buenos Aires 3185 Lima Los Angeles 1402 Seattle 1989 Buenos Aires London 1306 Chicago 1931 Rio De Janeiro Amsterdam 1213 San Francisco 1787 Sao Paulo Frankfurt 1203 Houston 1732 Denver Paris 1167 New York 1650 Miami Rome 1136 Washington 1608 Montreal Istanbul 1014 Vancouver 1524 Mexico City Auckland 874 Los Angeles 1468 New Orleans Osaka 741 Frankfurt 1437 Detroit 2103 Android iphone Desktop

13 Spending on 4 and 5 star hotels: Singaporean iphone users search for luxury hotels more than users on other platforms When it comes to searching for hotels, Singaporeans using an iphone are the most likely to look for luxury hotels. 66% of hotel searches on iphone are for 4 and 5 star hotels, compared to 65% on desktop and 63% on Android devices. This behaviour matches that found among Australian and Hong Kong travellers, with iphone users in these countries also the most likely to choose luxury accommodation. 66% of iphone hotel searches are for 4 and 5 star hotels Over in Europe, the top countries for luxury hotel bookings across all platforms are the UK, Germany, and Switzerland. Swiss iphone users in particular are keen on luxury hotels, with 72% of hotel bookings being for 4 and 5 star hotels.

14 Time How much time Singaporeans dedicate to searching and booking travel

15 Flights: Singaporean desktop users take the most time searching for flights Singaporeans tend to spend more time and money when searching and booking flights on desktop, meaning they are more cautious in finding the best deal than users on mobile devices. Amongst Singaporeans, mobile users are the fastest flight bookers, with an average of just 5 minutes spent searching before entering the booking process on both Android and iphone. This makes mobile users 3 minutes faster in finding a deal than desktop users, who take an average of 8 minutes to make up their minds. Average search time Android 5min Average search time iphone 5min Average search time difference 0min

16 Hotels: Singaporeans spend the same amount of time searching for hotels on any device The average search behaviour of Singaporean mobile and desktop users is identical when it comes to time spent searching for hotels before entering the booking process. At 7 minutes on any platform, Singaporean hotel search habits are extremely consistent. iphone and Android users spend, on average, 2 minutes longer when searching for hotels than for flights. Desktop users, on the other hand, spend one minute less on hotel searches (7 minutes) than flight searches (8 minutes). Average search time Android 7min Average search time iphone 7min Average search time difference 0min

17 Top weekdays to search: Singaporeans search for travel on their desktop at work, then switch to mobile on Monday evenings and Sundays Singaporeans like to settle back into the work week by searching for travel on desktop, with 34% of all desktop searches being made on Mondays and Tuesdays. Searches for travel on both iphone and Android tend to happen on the first and last day of the week; with 30% of travel searches being made by iphone and Android users on Mondays or Sundays. This behaviour is similar to Australian users, who show identical patterns to Singaporean users when it comes to the top 3 search days on all platforms. Busiest days of the week Android iphone Desktop Sunday Monday Monday 01 Monday Sunday Tuesday Tuesday Saturday Wednesday Tuesday Wednesday Saturday Wednesday Thursday Sunday Thursday Friday Thursday Friday Friday Saturday

18 Top time of the day to search: the busiest time for travel searches differs between mobile and desktop 9 8 iphone 3 4 Searching for travel falls into general online activities, among news, s and texts, but for Singaporeans there are definite distinctions with regards to when these searches occur on mobile devices or desktop throughout the day. Travel searches on desktop increase in the morning from am, picking up around lunch time and reaching their peak at 2pm. This corresponds to the data for 9 3 Australian and Hong Kong users, which also shows a peak in desktop searches at 2pm. After work, Singaporeans get back on mobile while 8 7 Android commuting (by 7pm), and when they return home in the evening, mobile searching again intensifies (from 8pm to 11pm), accounting for 24% of all searches on mobile throughout the day. In comparison, the busiest window of time for mobile searches is 7pm to 9pm for Australian users and 8pm to 11pm for Hong Kongers. 9 8 Desktop

19 When Singaporeans book: Singaporean desktop users book less in advance than mobile users Singaporean travellers on desktop prefer to leave it closer to the time of travel to search. Mobile users book on average 8 days sooner than desktop Days in advance 59 Days in advance 45 users - this trend remains consistent for cars, flights and hotel bookings. iphone users are the most relaxed bookers when it comes to hotels, booking an average of 38 days in advance, the shortest time compared to users on any other device and for any product. At Android iphone the opposite end of the spectrum, Android users book flights an average of 67 days in advance. While Hong Kong users also book less in advance on desktop, Australian and British users show the opposite behaviour, with a distinct tendency to book less in advance on mobile. Mobile average Days in advance Desktop Days in advance

20 Average length of trip: Singaporeans prefer shorter trips, but when searching for long trips, tend to use a desktop computer When Singaporeans book travel, they tend to favour shorter trips. Trips of one week or less make up more than 68% of all trips searched for by Android and iphone users and 62% of all trips searched on desktop. Long trips of more than 2 weeks seem to be less frequently searched for, particularly on Android and iphone, at only 3% and 7% of searches respectively. In contrast, 15% of desktop searches are for longer trips (more than 2 weeks), indicating Singaporeans prefer the usability of their desktop computer over a mobile device, as booking long vacations generally requires far more planning than a short trip. Android 3 days 1 week 2 weeks More than 2 weeks 38% 39% 20% 3% Trip duration iphone 3 days 1 week 2 weeks More than 2 weeks 34% 34% 25% 7% Desktop 3 days 1 week 2 weeks More than 2 weeks 30% 32% 23% 15%

21 Mobile Travel Personas

22 Singaporean iphone Travel Persona Spends an average of $511 on flights to popular destinations Spends 7 minutes searching for a hotel Books hotels 38 days in advance Spends 5 minutes searching for a flight Searches on Mondays Ideal time to search: 9pm Books cars 45 days in advance Books flights 56 days in advance More likely to buy a business class ticket than users of other devices Prefers to book getaways lasting one week or less Favourite city is Bangkok Favourite expensive destination is Buenos Aires Favourite KAYAK features are Trips and Explore

23 Singaporean Android Travel Persona Spends an average of $525 on flights to popular destinations Spends 7 minutes searching for a hotel Books hotels 51 days in advance Spends 5 minutes searching for a flight Searches on Sundays Ideal time to search: 10pm Books cars 59 days in advance Books flights 67 days in advance Prefers to fly economy Prefers to book getaways lasting one week or less Favourite city is Bangkok Favourite expensive destination is Los Angeles Favourite KAYAK features are Trips and Flight Tracker

24 Singaporean Desktop Travel Persona Spends an average of $588 on flights to popular destinations Spends 7 minutes searching for a hotel Books hotels 43 days in advance Spends 8 minutes searching for a flight Searches on Mondays Ideal time to search: 2pm Books cars 42 days in advance Books flights 51 days in advance Prefers to fly economy Prefers to book getaways lasting one week or less Favourite city is Bangkok Favourite expensive destination is Lima Favourite KAYAK features are Trips and Explore

25 Mobile Travel Hacks and Facts

26 Facts 33% of usage of the KAYAK app is at the airport, or nearby. 40,000,000 KAYAK app has been downloaded 40 million times and in 120 countries The KAYAK app is also available on Kindle Fire

27 Hacks Charge your phone on Flight Mode it will charge a lot quicker! Don t have a charger or adaptor? Use a USB cable to charge your phone. Don t have a laptop? Plug the USB cable into the TV in your hotel room. Before leaving for your trip, download an offline map on your smartphone so you can check your route without using your data. Keep chargers and headphones in a glasses case to stop them getting tangled. If the back of your plane seat doesn t have a TV, put your phone in a clear plastic bag and hook it to the back of the tray table. Make your device charge last longer: be sure to have a fully-charged power bank with you when you travel, especially if you re heading to a remote area with no electricity. It s no problem if your hotel room is lacking speakers, just grab a cup and put your mobile phone inside to instantly amplify the sound. If you don t have a phone holder in your car, use a rubber band and wrap it around the blower fan. Include nearby airports when searching for flights on the KAYAK app to find cheaper fares: wondering if it s cheaper to fly to Changi or Seletar? Your search will automatically include a search for airports near your destination to find the cheapest route. Want to watch movies hands free? Use your sunglasses as a mobile phone stand. On any flat surface, simply flip your sunglasses upside down and rest your phone against them.

28 Analysis for the Mobile Travel Report is based on data from searches for hotels, flights and cars in 2014 and 2015 on the mobile apps, mobile websites and desktop websites of KAYAK. Hacks insights are provided by KAYAK experts.