With the
fast growth of new technologies, our habits have significantly changed during
the last decades. Thanks to the Internet development, we now have a large
amount of different source of information. In the tourism industry, social medias
have proved that they have a real impact on customer decision-making process,
but do also constitute a real opportunity for companies.
On a
customer point of view, Social Medias has changed the way customers search for
information and determine where they will stay. During the last decade, we
observed a “phenomenal increase in travellers using customer reviews on social media websites such
as Tripadvisor in their search for information about hotels” (Mc Carthy L., Stock D., Verma R.,
2010).
A study
conducted by these three authors allows us to determine different trends. First
of all, it shows us that the leisure travellers are more likely to use that
information than business travellers. Indeed, business travellers often follow
the choice of their companies and keep using search engines or Online Travel
Agents (OTAs). It is also relevant in this study that the word-of-mouth from
friends or family has a strong impact on a hotel perception in customers’ mind
(see table below). Social Medias posts can be considered as extension of this word-of-mouth
which could explain the importance of these new tools, which represents key
information sources for leisure travellers. (Mc Carthy L., Stock D., Verma R.,
2010).
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| Source : How travellers use online and Social Media Channels to make hotel-choice decisions |
On
top of that, the study highlights the importance of Social Media by analysing
the likelihood that customers will choose a hotel depending whether it has
positive or negative reviews. The study results differentiate the diverse standings
of the hotels but as the results are surprisingly
similar, we decide not to do so. The likelihood of guests booking a hotel that
have negative reviews is under 2.5 chances out of five whereas for a hotel
which has positive comments, chances are between 3.5 and 4 out of five. This
makes a huge difference in term of image and companies have to maintain their good
online reputation.
Finally, at the
opposite of the often-repeated factoid that unsatisfied guests are more likely
to comment compare to satisfied ones, the study came to the conclusion that
there are three chances out of five that a customer will post a comment after
his stay whether his experience was positive or negative. It creates data about
hotels that companies are not able to control and that can have a huge impact
on their attractiveness for potential customers. Stuart Greif said: “social
media constitute a focus group of millions of people who provide information
without being prompted”.
The table above
also demonstrates that OTAs, travel-related websites or search engines remains the
main sources of information. This is linked to the fact that customers are not
able to do their bookings directly via social medias. It influences a lot the
late stage of the decision-making process where customers will gravitate
towards a more tightly defined set of channels where they will have the
opportunity to finalize their choice (Mc Carthy L., Stock D., Verma R., 2010). There
is here a real challenge for companies to optimize their use of social medias
by using them as distribution channels.
Customer
relationship management is already a major aspect of social media as it allows
companies to improve their customer services at a modest cost. (Wooden M.).
This is extremely important to respond to customers’ post and some companies
like McDonald’s, have a real work to do as “someone is posting or talking about
the firm every seven seconds on average” (Mc Carthy L., Stock D., Verma R.,
2010).
Companies
also use social medias in order to promote themselves through online campaign.
For example, RCI has created YouTube
“webisodes” regarding its flag-ship Oasis of the Seas, which had
received 700,000 hits as of his speech in October 2010.
Social medias have changed
the relationship between companies and customers. Customers have now access to
new relevant sources of information in their decision-making process, while
companies have to deal with non-entire controlled tools of promotion.
Bonetto Thomas & Bunoz Nicolas
2010: Mc Carthy L., Stock D., Verma R., 2010. How travellers use online and Social Media Channels to make hotel-choice decisions, Cornell Hospitality Report
