holiday inn

How seven ecommerce sites present price comparison details

One of the benefits of ecommerce is that it’s very easy to present a range of products side-by-side so that shoppers can compare the various features.

This makes greatly helps the decision-making process as customers can select a product based on which has the most relevant features as well as being the best value for money.

Retailers can also present additional details such as special offers and product reviews in order to increase the chances of a conversion.

Marriott edges out Hilton and Accor in hotel site UX survey

Marriot International has come top in a usability report that includes eight of the world’s top hotel brands.

The report also looks at the onsite effectiveness and brand awareness of Holiday Inn, Radisson, Hilton Hotels, Best Western, Choice Hotels, Accor Hotels and Starwood Hotels.

As mentioned, Marriott International was the top performing hotel with an average score of 83%. Hilton came second with 81% while Accor came third with 78%. The overall average among all eight hotels was 64%.

Are travel brands making it easy for mobile users to contact them?

More than half of the UK’s top 50 travel brands don’t have a mobile optimised site, according to research published last week by the IAB.

Furthermore, although 52% of the top travel brands have a mobile app only 56% of them are transactional, while a third of the businesses have no mobile presence at all.

This means they are failing to provide an important research channel for their customers, as a separate study from JiWire has shown that when looking for information on their next holiday or business trip consumers are just as likely to turn to their mobile device as they are to use a laptop.

Similarly, new data from ResponseTap that highlights a fairly typical purchase journey shows the importance of mobile for travel companies, as customers often browse the mobile web as well as calling travel operators while researching their holiday options.