How US consumers discuss travel offerings on social networking sites
Many social network users are using channels such as Twitter and Facebook to discuss shopping decisions and experiences with their peers. Although often this means they are using social networks as another channel to hunt down the best deals, consumers are also turning to those sites to provide feedback about their experiences with brands, according to emarketer.com.
Published: 15 Jul 2011
Many social network users are using channels such as Twitter and Facebook to discuss shopping decisions and experiences with their peers. Although often this means they are using social networks as another channel to hunt down the best deals, consumers are also turning to those sites to provide feedback about their experiences with brands, according to emarketer.com.
A report on the site highlighted what consumers discuss about products / services on social networking sites:
ROI Research conducted a study that asked social network users why they discuss products and services on social network sites. The majority of respondents said that when discussing products and services, they are comparing prices and talking about sales and specials with their social network friends and followers. Fifty-three percent of the surveyed social network users said they provide feedback to the brand or retailer via social network sites—and 47% said they express disappointment with the brand when they see fit.
The ROI Research study points out that consumers voice complaints about certain verticals more so than others. Survey respondents listed household products, telecommunications and healthcare and pharma as top categories for expressing dissatisfaction on a social network. Sports-related brands, magazines and newspapers, and alcoholic beverages, on the other hand, received low levels of complaints.
The travel industry ranked fairly low on the list—which may come as asurprise given the resources that many travel companies have devoted toresponding to consumer feedback on Twitter.
A MarketTools survey focusing on customer satisfaction with USairline carriers indicates that althoughUS travellers may be embracing social networks to express feedback morefrequently than in the past, social media as a feedback or customer servicechannel is still nascent.
Many travellers are using social networks to let their friends andfollowers in on their travel woes. In fact, the MarketTools survey indicatesone out of 10 US travellers has used social media to complain about an airline.Because the complaints are undirected though, they often go unanswered. Thesurvey shows that only one out of four consumers who complained via socialmedia got a response back from an airline.
Although travellers are voicing dissatisfaction to their friends viasocial media, few travellers actually use sites such as Twitter and Facebook togive direct negative feedback to airlines. Only 2 percent of travellers who hadgiven feedback or complaints about airline service in the past year said theyhad done so via social media. Most travellers reached out to the airlinecustomer service department through the website, email or phone.
Both studies demonstrate that while collecting and responding to feedback over social networks may be a new phenomenon for brands, there is room for growth. Listening and responding to complaints on social media also offers brands a chance to connect with customers in an additional channel, and to potentially increase customer satisfaction.