Holiday videos ‘drive online bookings’

Travel sites with videos encourage consumers to spend more than those without, according to a leading technology supplier.

Trailstream managing director Dave Howard told the Travel Technology Initiative conference in London that videos have evolved from being a “nice to have” to a necessity for travel companies online.

Howard suggested the revenue from customers who view videos is twice that of those who do not – driven both by a higher rate of conversion and a higher average booking value.

He said six out of the UK’s top-10 travel sites now have video and suggested companies such as Thomas Cook and TUI Travel have invested millions in the medium. “Everyone recognises it is the next stage of evolution,” Howard said.

“How you integrate video has a massive effect on usage. There is a tendency to think about videos as just another media type and treat them like images. But if you are making the investment in the content, do not hide it away.”

Howard stressed the need to consider the length of clips, background music and voice-overs to engage users and not switch them off.
“Our clips are about a minute, which we think is sufficient to get someone’s interest,” he said.