As speculation simmers regarding whether - or when - Amazon will make
a foray into travel, a new survey finds 44% of travelers say they would be
comfortable booking their trips on the e-commerce site.
Air travel intelligence company OAG surveyed 2,164 travelers
based in the United States to find out which nontraditional technologies and
methods they would be comfortable using for bookings and payments.
The results are detailed in OAG’s report, The Future of
Travel Booking and Payments.
When asked which specific social and consumer platforms they would consider using, Amazon is the clear preference, selected by 44% of
respondents. The next most popular alternative is Facebook at just 14%.
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Voice interfaces are also gaining consideration. One-quarter
of respondents say they would be comfortable using a mobile assistant such as
Siri or Google Assistant to book travel, and 18% indicate they would be
willing to use a smart speaker such as Amazon Echo or Google Home.
OAG also found business travelers are more inclined to use
nontraditional booking methods compared to the general population.
“Convenience, speed and customer experience rule the travel
ecosystem - and the booking and payment process is no exception,” says Mike
Benjamin, chief technology officer of OAG.
“Travelers are already relying on social media platforms
like Twitter and Facebook for customer service. While we don’t expect a major
shift in the travel booking market overnight, the threat of new startups and
major tech players radically simplifying or transforming the experience should
not be discounted.”
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Regarding payments, nearly half (49%) of respondents say they
would use PayPal to book and pay for travel and related services, followed by
Apple Pay at 42%.
Bitcoin was near the bottom of the list with just 6% of
respondents willing to use it - although that figure more than doubled for the
segment of millennial respondents (14%).
Biometric technology, which to date has primarily been used
to expedite air passenger boarding, is also an option for payments. OAG found
57% of travelers would be willing to use a facial or fingerprint scanner to pay
for goods and services.
“Today’s consumers have more channels, technologies and
platforms to book travel through than ever before,” Benjamin says.
“While the industry won’t change immediately, legacy
airlines and booking engines need to continue to aggressively invest in
innovation and the customer experience, both to win more market share and to
fend off potential new entrants.”
* Full report available here to download.