‘Social proofing’ is causing Brits to ‘miss out’ on travel bargains

Brits are more persuaded by the behaviour of other travellers than by lower prices, new research has found. A study conducted by IHG Rewards Club in conjunction with behavioural science expert Dr Joe Gladstone from the University College London, found holidaymakers were 10% more likely to respond to cues that others had made the same booking. The study of more than 1,200 Brits, found users were 14% more likely to hit the ‘book’ button when messages such as '12 other people have booked' were increased to '40 other people have booked’. Assistant Professor Joe Gladstone, who specialises in consumer behaviour, said the habit of copying other shoppers is down to a phenomenon known as ‘social proofing’ – whereby people subconsciously copy others when a sense of urgency is generated. The research – which examined behaviour when booking hotels, flights and travel insurance - also found reviews from other travellers were more powerful than pricing discounts. Almost half of those surveyed (48%) admitted they were persuaded to book after reading positive reviews from other travellers, 40% more than when no message was shown. Prof Gladstone said: “Our brains have evolved to respond in these ways for good reasons: copying the herd helps us make quick decisions, and can be a very sensible thing to do if we do not have time to make an independent decision under pressure. But these ways of thinking can sometimes lead us astray – or allow us to be led astray.” “Consumers are bombarded with these kinds of marketing tactics every time we go on line, and the study clearly shows that they work – when unsure, we simply follow the person ahead of us, even if it’s not a good deal.” Apurva Pratap, IHG’s vice president of distribution and commercial marketing, said: “Our research shows there’s a lot of confusion around where to find the lowest deal and that persuasive tactics often mean travellers are stretching their purse strings more than they have to. We know our guests like choice, but they also want to know that they’re not paying over the odds for their room."