The changing market

Mobile Bookings

Widespread adoption of smartphones over the last 20+ years has driven transactions both large and small from in-person to desktop web and now to mobile web and app. Travel purchases have followed the same pattern with younger generations adopting mobile platforms for most of their travel booking.

Over half of GenZ (55%) and Millennial (62%) travelers booked their most recent travel on mobile, compared to just a 1/3 booking on a laptop or desktop computer. 44% of GenXers booked on mobile, evenly matched by their laptop and desktop purchasing rate. The Boomer generation has been the slowest to adopt mobile booking at just 28%, compared to 59% booking on laptop or desktop web. 

The loyalty problem

As travel planning has moved from web to mobile the challenge of attracting, converting and retaining customers has only grown. Most travelers check multiple sites or apps before making a purchase. This has made it challenging for travel providers to increase loyalty in today’s competitive environment.

87% of travelers will check at least 2 websites/apps before making a travel purchase, with younger travelers spending the most time and effort comparing prices and offerings across channels. 

24% of Gen Z travelers will check 5 sites or more before making a purchase, more than any other generation.

To stand out from the competition and drive conversion and loyalty, travel providers can offer customized promotions direct to customer wallets, rewards programs and retained balances to keep customers coming back. Advanced wallet features can target specific customer segments based on loyalty tier, creating a more personalized experience.

As travel providers prioritize these features, the digital wallet is set to become one of the most critical tools for unlocking conversion and retention among the most price and value sensitive customers.

Innovation meets demand

Rise of the digital wallet

Travel customers expect seamless checkout experiences from their travel providers, just like those offered by more traditional consumer goods and service providers like Amazon, Shopify shops and Uber. Customers respond to efficient booking
funnels, a range of payment options in the currencies they prefer and the ability to pay with points or combine methods.

Recent survey data indicates that mobile/digital wallets are the second most popular payment option, preferred by 68% of consumers. 

The same survey also indicates that 76% of consumers are likely to abandon a transaction if their preferred payment method is not accepted. (source: Applause)

As travel transactions continue to shift to mobile there is a clear need emerging for a comprehensive travel wallet solution which caters to the needs of both travel customers and travel providers.

Next-gen payments

Leverage Hopper’s expertise in payment optionality and customization on your channels to drive conversion, loyalty and repeat purchases. With HTS Checkout from the B2B division of Hopper, your brand can capture more direct revenue and supercharge loyalty with a next-generation hosted checkout solution that combines multiple payment options, sophisticated anti-fraud technology, and wallet capabilities.

HTS Checkout

Maximize conversion and loyalty with a best in class checkout experience by HTS. Our payment ecosystem connects to over 100 payment options and multiple integrations to make sure you can optimize payments in every local market and globally.

Multiple payment options: Support wallet credits, loyalty points, card spend, and alternative payment methods.

28+ card schemes: Offer many global and local providers to meet consumer needs around the world.

Flexible payment methods: Customers can split pay between payment methods and apply partial points/credits.

Modern wallet infrastructure: Accelerate performance with loyalty integration and our modern wallet infrastructure.

Serve more markets: Save money & serve more markets effectively with 200+ acquirers, aggregators, and PSP providers.

35+ currencies supported: Intelligent routing ensures maximum acceptance across many currencies.

More security: Reduce fraud through utilizing AI and ML, with vast industry data and specialization.

METHODOLOGY

This report combines primary research by Hopper & HTS into industry and customer trends with proprietary data from Hopper & HTS’s own testing. Survey data is from a survey commissioned by Hopper & HTS of US based travelers who booked leisure travel in the previous 6-12 months (n > 1,000).