The annual Independent Travel Web Site Satisfaction Study, from US marketing firm JD Power and Associates, studies consumer reaction to seven sites: Cheaptickets.com, Expedia.com, Hotels.com, Hotwire.com, Orbitz.com, Priceline.com and Travelocity.com.
It found the average satisfaction score declined by 17 points on a 1,000-point scale to 785 in 2008. This compares with a year-on-year decline of eight points in the 2007 survey.
The seven sites also had a ‘negligible market share increase’ of 1% in 2008, despite the market growing by 15 percentage points.
The survey revealed that 70% of travel reservations were booked online in 2008 - up from 53% in 2007 - but only 16% were made through independent travel websites.
Now in its fourth year, the study measures customer satisfaction with online booking of flights, hotels and car rental through the seven sites. It assesses factors such as price; ease of booking; usefulness of information; availability of booking options/travel packages; appearance/design; and ease of navigation.
Hotwire.com ranked highest overall for a third consecutive year, with a score of 808. It performed particularly well in competitiveness of pricing and ease of navigation.
Second came Priceline.com (787), followed by Expedia.com (781), Travelocity.com (780), Hotels.com (778), Orbitz.com (773) and Cheaptickets.com (744).
Sam Thanawalla, director of travel and entertainment at JD Power and Associates, said: ‘Many of the independent players are trying to beef up their sites by adding more content and features, but this can make it more challenging for customers to easily navigate through sites and make travel reservations.
'Websites that offer lowest-price guarantees, provide images and have other relevant content, such as consumer reviews and information on areas that travellers will be visiting, will prove successful in satisfying customers.
‘Ensuring a satisfying experience also leads to an increased likelihood that customers will return to make travel reservations in the future and give positive recommendations to others.
‘In 2008, customers who say they are highly satisfied with their online booking experience are 50% more likely to return to the same website to book their next trip.’
The 2008 study was based on responses from 7,667 consumers who booked their travel reservations through independent websites.
See also:
Hitwise reports drop in travel site usage (25/11/08)
Web budgets shift to SEO and content (31/10/08)
Travel websites ‘should replicate agency experience’ (22/09/08)
Survey reveals online booking trends (10/07/08)
Airlines' sites outperformed by agents' (25/03/08)
US survey shows satisfaction levels falling [2007 survey] (28/11/07)
Hotwire.com tops satisfaction survey [2006 survey] (30/11/06)