Booking no longer means the decision is made: travelers keep comparing
One of the most interesting shifts in the sector is that booking no longer equals a made decision. McKinsey & Company notes that travelers keep comparing options, change plans and go back to earlier stages of the journey even after they have paid. The booking moves from being the finish line to being just another stop.
For anyone working in distribution or revenue, that has very concrete consequences.
- The window between booking and check-in stops being dead time and becomes a playing field.
- Cancellations, modifications and re-engagements stop being noise and become signal.
- Models that measure the funnel up to confirmation fall short.
It bugs me that many brands still treat the booking as a closing and drop their guard right there. The opportunity lies in staying with the traveler in that second phase, not abandoning them after payment. Whoever treats post booking as part of the funnel wins, whoever ignores it ends up staring at a conversion that no longer tells the whole story.
Quick questions
What does it mean that booking no longer equals deciding?
How does this affect a hotel's revenue management?
Are cancellations then more relevant?
What should an OTA change in the way it measures?
Is this a threat or an opportunity?
Was this article useful?
The daily brief
Notitur in your inbox
One sharp travel-industry brief a day. Free.
Editorial content by Notitur. It may contain errors. Verify anything important with the original source.
This article may mention third-party products, companies or services for informational purposes. Notitur does not endorse them and is not responsible for them or for what they offer. Editorial content curated by the Notitur team.