The digital age has expanded our horizons and has changed the way people think, create, browse and shop for their travel related needs.

Consumer Interest

Deloitte’s article, referenced below, has given insight into the ways that travel is now seen by consumers, in fact, the digital age has transformed the access to which consumers have to fulfilling their travel needs. The Deloitte article states that they found from their surveys that 59 % of people looking at booking a holiday are more aware of the advantages given by online sites, especially in regard to comparing prices online. This confidence and awareness of using travel sites/app’s is only set to continue, and so the use and the expansion of travel options available online needs to expand with this heightened consumer use.

The Deloitte research also found that people rely on the experiences of others and the ability to share their own, this is something that we have taken on board with our app, wishing to make it a place to review and share experiences with fellow gap year travellers. Moreover, the fact that our creation will be an app, makes it transferrable and easy to access from anywhere. There is no need to now wait until you are at a desktop to research, compare and share. Especially as our target audience is within the range of 18-25, and a lot of this generation carry a smartphone with them daily. This is vital information as if harnessed correctly, our app will grow and function not only for the users of the app but also by them; with their feedback and use of the app, changes and additions can be made in time to ensure effective user experience.

Why An App?

In order to be fully marketable a business needs to reach people, especially when everything is online and so easily accessible. An app is needed to enhance the number of people who see it. Today, most people don’t know what is on the application market, they search for an idea. If an app can make this business visible and accessible then this can fill a need, the user is satisfied and this is why creating an app is an important business decision. Also, an app can be viewed even if it is not directly relevant to the original search, but this creates interest and is why using an app aids marketing and recognition. If a user is drawn into the app and its unique idea or can see its usefulness, they are more willing to pay for other features and this will help not only in increasing sale and revenue in the future, but also aid the business to stand out from competition. All of this will then enhance consumer loyalty and support, if a consumer feels that the app is helpful and saves them time and money and gives them a connection to the business, they are less likely to go in search of another business to fulfill their needs.

Our App

Our app offers a unique selling point, a specific app for creating a personalised gap year experience that offers the ability of the user to create and share information with other like-minded travellers. Our app will be a collaborative platform where travel knowledge will be generated and shared. It offers a more personalised user experience and tailors trips depending on the time of year, expenditure and user reviews. The consumer is more informed than ever before, having access to many types of media online and also search engines. Our app will enhance the consumer experience by collating information for them, tailoring it to their specifics needs, saving them not only money but also their time, which is a big incentive.

As the Deloitte article points out, online travel has become a buyers market, which has expanded and is only set to continue due to continued site and app creation. Consumers, are still out to get the best deal and are aware that this is to be found online. This will be a selling point for us. We will be set on creating the best deal for our app users, making sure they are kept up-to-date with the best possible offers, group trips and individual tours, and that this is continually reviewed. We will also carry on the incentive to existing users, as it shouldn’t just be new users who get the best deals, but all users of the app. We will ensure to give incentives throughout the use of our app, including discount codes, advice and the unlocking of other features on the app.

Deloitte Article: https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/pages/consumer-business/articles/travel-hospitality-industry-outlook.html