In the dynamic world of hotel e-commerce, mobile performance is more important than ever.
Net Affinity’s 2024 Hotel Mobile Barometer provides a comprehensive look at the trends and data driving mobile bookings across the UK and Ireland. As hoteliers, understanding where you stand in this landscape is essential to stay competitive and enhance your mobile booking strategies.
The 2024 data highlights the overwhelming dominance of mobile devices in e-commerce transactions. With mobile transactions surpassing desktop since 2019, it’s clear that hotels must prioritise mobile optimisation.
But where does your property sit within this spectrum? Are you capitalising on the mobile trend, or are you falling behind?
Net Affinity’s Key Findings
In the 2024 Hotel Mobile Barometer, we see that mobile usage has surged, with mobile bookings now accounting for 65% in the UK and 59% in Ireland. This indicates a significant shift towards mobile devices as the primary platform for hotel bookings. If your property’s mobile bookings fall below these benchmarks, it’s a clear signal that there’s substantial room for improvement.
Device trends further illustrate this shift, showing a steady decline in desktop transactions over the years. Mobile devices have taken the lead, becoming the dominant platform for e-commerce transactions. Tablets, once a popular choice, have seen the most significant drop, now representing a mere 1.8% of e-commerce transactions.
The impact of property type on mobile bookings is also important to note. The data reveals considerable variance across different types of properties. Resorts in the UK, for instance, see the highest percentage of mobile bookings at 76%. In comparison, suburban hotels in the UK have around 63% of their bookings coming from mobile devices. This variation underscores the importance of tailoring mobile strategies to specific property types to maximise bookings.
Are You Behind the Curve?
With mobile usage nearing saturation in the UK and Ireland, the question is no longer whether you should focus on mobile, but how well you are doing it.
Compare your performance against these benchmarks to see if you are leading or lagging:
- Are your mobile website and booking engine user-friendly and fast?
- Do you use data to understand your customers’ behaviours and preferences?
- Are you running effective mobile marketing campaigns to drive more bookings?
- Do you regularly update and test your mobile site and apps to keep up with evolving technology and user expectations?
How to Stay Ahead of the Game
To maintain a competitive edge in the ever-evolving mobile e-commerce landscape, it's essential to stay ahead of the game. Start by benchmarking your performance using data from the Mobile Barometer, as this will help you understand where your hotel stands in terms of mobile performance and identify any gaps or areas needing improvement.
Enhancing the user experience is paramount. A focus on simplifying the booking process and ensuring it is optimised for mobile devices can lead to higher conversion rates. Mobile users expect a seamless and intuitive experience, so prioritise a user-friendly design.
Investing in technology is another key strategy, because leveraging the latest mobile technologies can significantly enhance the booking experience. This includes adopting responsive design, ensuring fast loading times, and providing intuitive navigation. These elements can make a substantial difference in user satisfaction and booking completion rates.
Effective marketing is also essential. Implement well-optimised mobile marketing strategies to reach your audience effectively, tracking the performance of these campaigns and making necessary adjustments to maximise results. By continuously refining your marketing efforts, you can ensure your strategies remain effective and drive significant growth in mobile bookings.
Dive deeper into the data and insights by downloading the full 2024 Hotel Mobile Barometer Guide here.
