mobiThinking recommends this excellent mobile report from EyeForTravel. This will be a valuable primer for all businesses – but is an essential for anyone in travel. It brings together one of the best collections of global statistics, from various reputable sources, we’ve seen in a while and it draws some useful conclusions. See our highlights below and/or download the full report here. The report is free if you register as an EyeforTravel Research Advanced Member (membership is currently free until December 2009).
This is the first part of an impressive program of reports and seminars from EyeForTravel called the School of Mobile which are aimed at promoting mobile among the travel business. They are all free to members. It’s an initiative we’d love to see replicated for all vertical sectors.
The second report due at the end of April will focus on case studies and details of what technologies are available. This is also available on free download to members. The third report will focus on mobile in travel from the consumer perspective, with original research. The latter will be available free to attendees of the interactive mobile seminars at the Travel Distribution Summit Europe 2009 in London on May 19-20. The show is free for travel companies (others must pay).
Highlights from the first Mobile Technology in Travel Report :
Worldwide, there were 3.5 billion mobile subscribers in 2008, rising to 4.6 billion in 2011.
Asia will account for 50 percent of mobile subscribers by 2011.
In all geographies, mobile penetration was much higher than PC Internet. This is particularly pronounced in Africa and Asia.
Handsets are dominated in the US and Europe by LG, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson, led by Nokia in Europe and Motorola in the US. (In November 2008, Apple only accounted for 1.6 percent of handsets in the US, its biggest market).
The number of people accessing news or information daily over the mobile Web is increasing monthly – currently Italy is highest in Europe with 9 percent, while in the US it is 8 percent.
The report collates many statistics from M:Metrix, ITU, Portio Research mobclix.com.
Highlights from School of Mobile’s original research (of 820 respondents in the travel business in Europe, Asia and US):
45 percent of respondents had tried mobile.
Asked when they first invested in/plan to invest in mobile, 31 percent said they had already invested prior to 2009; 18 percent plan to start investing in 2009; and 9 percent in 2010.
Mobile websites are used by 22 percent, with highest penetration among airlines and online travel agents.
Sales and marketing, mobile Web presence, consumer search, customer service and ticketing were all considered important elements of the mobile strategy.
The respondents believed mobile does not replace existing forms of communication and it is “just be another medium of communication”. There was strong feeling that “consumers will be looking for this service … we have to keep the pace”.
Latest interview:
Tomi Ahonen (consultant, speaker, prolific author and blogger)
Download our latest best-practice papers for free:
The Top Ten mobiThinkers 2009
Mobile marketing discovery tactics for the mobile Web
Spread the mobile love… how to run a seasonal campaign
Leave a Reply