Traveller’s decisions swayed by rewards on offer

Almost two-thirds (61%) of travellers look to the quality of rewards on offer when making travel purchase decisions, according to new research from reward and revenue provider Collinson Latitude. 

Despite this, the study ‘A guide to Reward Programmes: The Traveller’s Review’ – which questioned 4,000 consumers globally – found that travel operators are failing to meet reward expectations with over two thirds (67%) of consumers claiming they are not satisfied with current programmes.

The study found that 74% of travellers purchase decisions are ‘sometimes’, ‘often’ or ‘always’ influenced by reward programmes on offer, highlighting the big impact rewards have on revenue generation and customer retention.

Nearly two thirds (64%) said that reward programmes were over complicated or hard to use,  while eight in 10 said more choice of rewards would help improve their experience. Nearly seven in 10 (69%) were unhappy with the level of service offered by their rewards programme.

James Berry, e-commerce director at Collinson Latitude, said: “Today’s connected traveller expects benefits from travel brands that are tailored to their individual needs. If the user journey is poor, the transaction is too complicated or they can’t find the reward they want, members will rightly look to other suppliers – waiting is not an option and a one size fits all approach doesn’t fly anymore.

“To genuinely improve the way reward members perceive travel programmes, it’s important to understand who customers are and what it is that they are likely to find rewarding. Deeper insights into customer behaviours give travel operators a critical competitive edge.”