When are travellers most likely to book? According to fresh research, it all comes down to confidence, and not just in the destination.
A new study from The Growth Distillery and Pureprofile has found that confident consumers are the golden ticket for travel advisors and bookers. These travellers spend 40 per cent more and confirm bookings 25 per cent faster than their less certain counterparts, the study revealed.
But perhaps the most surprising insight is that heavy scrolling on social media doesn’t signal intent. In fact, it often highlights hesitation, with uncertain travellers leaning on platforms for reassurance rather than pulling the trigger on a trip.
The study analysed half a million travel transactions alongside surveys with 3,000 travellers, uncovering five behaviours that predict booking readiness. Confident travellers, for example, consume 60 per cent more content from trusted travel sites, while indecisive consumers bounce between sources, delaying decisions.
Other indicators include spikes in visits to government safety pages, which point to low booking confidence, and major life changes such as a new job or move, which typically dampen intent.
For travel marketers, the key takeaways are to simplify choices, speed up booking flows and keep all tools – from inspiration to confirmation – in one place.
“Greater frequency of content consumption from trusted publishers is a clear signal of purchase intent,” The Growth Distillery Senior Manager Audience Intelligence Jessica Folkard said.
“Confident travellers actively seek quality information before booking, whilst uncertain consumers get lost in endless social media scrolling. Instead of chasing every signal, marketers should focus on identifying and targeting confident consumers who move decisively through the purchase journey.”
International travel continues to boom, with recent data showing double-digit growth for Australian travel abroad. Read more about that here.
