If it is a genuine comment, please let us know!

Thanks,

Vicky

I recently received a leaflet for a “Real Ale Trail” where you can visit pubs by train in the Lake District. I’m really tempted but would never have thought of it had I not seen the insert fall from a magazine.

I think problems with brochure print occur when businesses or marketing groups spend all their money developing it, but don’t leave enough money to distribute it or get it to the right people at the right time.

They don’t always plan how they will store it or make it available to web/phone enquirers so it becomes increasingly difficult for web visitors to get their hands on a printed guide if that’s what they want.

But I also think the order of information consumption has shifted.

Printed material can also drive online conversions (when people remember to include a url on their print) – so you stumble across the print, then go online to find out more when you’re ready.

Long live print

I agree, the macro-ecomomic factors play the major role at a market level, but I think that at a business level, user experience is a differentiator.

And as you quote, “The question isn’t, “Is this real?” The question is: “What are you doing about it?”

Great summary.

I think macro-economic play a bigger role than poor User Experience of websites to explain the all edged drop in online travel. But I do think that travel industry websites are lagging behind other online verticals when it comes to the User Experience, in particular when it comes to transactions. That’s why I agree with Kevin’s prediction “New websites for at least 50% of Europe’s flag carrier airlines.”

I am curious to find out how consumers deal with the volume of choice presented in the “long tail”. Sometimes less choice increases consumption and now that even the smallest tourism experience has a website, and is discussed online, I think that consumers might be overwhelmed by the paradox of choice? http://www.goodexperience.com/blog/archives/000106.php

The question is “what are we going to do about it?
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/11/meatball-mondae.html

Cheers,

William

I agree with you about addressing the issues regarding Service.So many companies seem to forget to put themselves in “the customer shoes” when tackling growth.

I also personally think it is a question of fixing your fundamentals – eg service – and ensuring those fundamentals can scale with growth, before you try to add layers of icing to the cake. Otherwise you end up with scenarios like this, as reported here: http://www.hotelmarketing.com/index.php/article/071206_uk_travel_websites_rated_worst_for_online_customer_service/ and here: http://www.europealacarte.co.uk/blog/2007/02/22/the-appalling-customer-service-offered-by-uk-online-travel-companies/