Online travel sites need to work harder at improving the entire end to end website experience if they are to build trusted, long-term relationships that encourage customers to buy from them time and time again, according to a study.

Published: 23 Jul 2009

Online travel sites need to work harder at improving the entire end to end website experience if they are to build trusted, long-term relationships that encourage customers to buy from them time and time again, according to a study.

As per the findings of the first eTravel Benchmark survey, the online travel industry as a whole has some way to go in order to compete with ‘best in breed’ companies for website engagement and customer service. When the sites were measured using the net promoter score to find out which are most likely to be recommended through word of mouth, while eight companies ranked ‘above average’, the sector as a whole achieved score of +5.

Compared to other recent eDigitalResearch benchmarking studies that scored retail at +27, finance at +18 and car manufacturing at +7, the online travel sector is clearly lagging behind.

Airlines, however, were notably let down by poor first impressions and disappointing customer service, both of which play a vital part in overall customer satisfaction. When measured on telephone customer service, just one airline, British Airways, made it into the top 10 rankings, rated seventh and just two airlines (Virgin Atlantic and British Airways) scored highly enough to make the top 10 for email customer service.

Derek Eccleston, head of research at eDigitalResearch said although there are clear leaders in certain categories, there is not one operator who has managed to tick all the boxes consistently.

“In a sector whose customers are particularly promiscuous – switching brands for a better deal, looking for recommendations and picking the purchase channel that most suits them at that particular time – failing to perform well across the board is more than a missed opportunity, it is commercial suicide,” said Eccleston.

“What customers want is a clear step-by-step process. They want a site that is easy to purchase from but at the same time that has the inspirational ‘wow’ factor to keep them engaged. Add to that transparent pricing, great customer service, and of course a great trip and you’ve cracked it.”

The eTravel Benchmark survey uses eDigitalResearch’s eMysteryShopper tool to measure the ‘usability’ of 18 channel crossing, cruise and airline websites, comparing seven key areas ranging from first impressions to the search and booking process. Overall, channel crossing operators fared better in the survey with P&O Ferries emerging as the top performer and Stena Line second.