Shopping has always been social – whether we’re buying a camera, booking a holiday or renting a car. Since the first transactions in the earliest marketplaces, people bought from people and discussed their decisions with other people.

1. The new social
booking journey

2. REEVOO THE NEW SOCIAL BOOKING JOURNEY 2
Introduction
Shopping has always been social – whether we’re buying The real winners in the social age will be those who “Customers have been
a camera, booking a holiday or renting a car. Since the first harness the full power of the crowd not just on their own
transactions in the earliest marketplaces, people bought site, but through the entire booking journey.
providing user-generated
from people and discussed their decisions with other content for a decade
people. That’s what this ebook is all about: weaving social
engagement into every step of the new booking journey to
through reviews, forum
But the first era of online booking sites dispensed with all make it easy for people to book with you – and to share posts, uploading photos, etc.
that. As travel booking became de-personalised, we all their great experience with others.
browsed and clicked through isolated, human-free travel
Sharing tools now enable
sites... and abandoned all too many bookings. The ideas discussed here are based on our experience more eyeballs to see this fab
as a world-leading social commerce company. Because
Today, social commerce is back in a big way. The travel we see so many crowd-powered transactions across so
content, and even better, the
industry has fully embraced the power of the crowd, and many different vendor, brand and social websites, we have eyeballs know the fingers
it’s hard to find a serious travel site that doesn’t have a unique perspective on consumer behaviour. By sharing
some form of traveller reviews, recommendations or user- it, we hope to help marketers raise their game – which
who created the content.”
generated content. also helps travellers find the very best trip for their specific
Linda Bustos
needs. Win-win.
GetElastic
It’s not rocket science: social commerce works because it
brings the human element back, so that every booking is
the result of a complex network of conversations between
friends, fellow travellers and brands.
But, while social commerce has never been more important
in travel, many companies think it’s enough to out-source
this key feature to third-party sites. Instead of engaging
with would-be bookers and regular guests on their own
sites and across the web, they’re sending them away
to another site. And then wondering why visitors don’t
come back to their site to book and why, if they’re ‘doing
social’, they’re not seeing as much extra traffic or as many
bookings as they’d like.

3. REEVOO THE NEW SOCIAL BOOKING JOURNEY 3
The old booking The new booking
journey journey
It’s hard to believe, but only a few years ago, the booking journey was a pretty straight line. Today’s booking journeys are multi-channel, multi-step pathways that reflect the unique
We knew what we wanted; we went to one travel agent, or one trusted travel company; and motivations and dynamics of each traveller and each trip.
we booked.
From the outside, it looks like the map of a pinball: random, chaotic, rudder-less. But from
Seems almost quaint, doesn’t it? the booker’s perspective, each path is actually a fairly logical, goal-directed exploration of
the web’s rich content universe and the wide range of mobile and offline touchpoints.
The old idea of a ‘booking funnel’ that the marketer drives from start to finish has given way
to something new. Of course, no two paths to booking are identical. There are almost as many unique paths
as there are bookings.
But as diverse as these journeys may be, a pattern is emerging that lets us distil some
principles from this mess.

4. REEVOO THE NEW SOCIAL BOOKING JOURNEY 4
The new booking journey is:
Fast Search-enabled Social Today’s booking journeys aren’t always
confined to the web. Offline channels –
from agents to consumer travel shows
With all the channels available to them, Many booking journeys start with a search Above all, today’s booking journey is social and traditional advertising – still play
people can continue their research on the engine, but nearly all involve several – fuelled by reviews, recommendations, their part. And mobile apps are playing
move and outside offline business hours. searches, whether on Google or an ‘Ask a guest’ services, Facebook visits an increasingly important ‘bridging’ role
The result? The whole booking journey is on-site search. and Twitter queries. between online and offline touchpoints.
speeding up.
You need to understand your keyword You need to master social commerce The most progressive marketers are
If you can’t respond quickly to behaviour dynamics and make sure your site is content – on your own site and beyond. deploying integrated, multi-channel
that signals the intent to book, you’re out optimised with plenty of social content. campaigns that combine online, offline
of the game. and mobile into a seamless journey.

5. REEVOO THE NEW SOCIAL BOOKING JOURNEY 5
The new booking journey is:
Complex Booker-driven Multi-channel “The reality is that just like
most other things in life,
From the first daydreams to the check-in, Yesterday’s path was heavily guided by Today’s booking journeys hop from there is no one thing that
most booking journeys involve much more the vendor. Today’s is booker-initiated search engine to social site to mobile
than just a single visit to one website. And and self-directed. You can influence it, app, offline travel agent and back.
makes something happen.
the more expensive or important the trip, but you can’t drive it. They often involve multiple booking People use a variety of
the more complex the process. and destination sites, plus review sites,
The key is to be helpful to the traveller, expert blogs and mobile services.
methods to make decisions
You need to be ready to convert interest making it easy for them to find exactly You need to be in the right place at the using a combination of tools
into action in many different ways. what they need instead of trying to frog- right time with the right content.
march them to the booking page.
and resources.”
Frank Reed
Marketing Pilgrim


6. REEVOO THE NEW SOCIAL BOOKING JOURNEY 6
The new booking journey
Without ignoring the incredible diversity of booking journeys, it is possible to represent the The key decisions and research stages
entire decision cycle in a simplified model that breaks the journey down into four decision
steps and four research stages. Each of the four decision points either triggers or is triggered by a research phase. The
decision points are, as the name implies, moments in time when people’s mindsets move
to the next level of the booking cycle. The research stages are more prolonged and might
extend over days, weeks or months.
Identify a need Intent decision Destination decision Booking
The moment you realize there’s The moment when you realise You’ve made your mind up. You Tickets are booked, rooms
a trip, package or destination that yes, you’re going to book and your partner are going to reserved. Now to start shopping
out there that might be just what and do it soon. Rome for two weeks in April. for sunglasses and guide books.
you need.
Need shaping Shortlisting Company selection Post-booking validation
The stage in which you Where you start to narrow Now how are you getting Now you need
start to add dimension to down your choices of type there, and where will you reassurance that you did
your desires and to plan of trip and destination, first stay? Which airline from the right thing (if only to
when, where and how. in big chunks, then down which airport? Which justify it to your partner or
to the final few. hotel? family).

7. REEVOO THE NEW SOCIAL BOOKING JOURNEY 7
Your experience may vary
Of course, there is no such booking journey in real life.
Some journeys proceed in an orderly way through each of these steps.
Others start with the travel company (“I really fancy another Cunard cruise”);
the hotel (“I enjoyed staying there on my last business trip”); or the type of trip
(“Where has the best snow this season?”).
Some journeys go from left to right in the model, others swim upstream
or dance around.
It’s still useful to analyse a generic booking journey, because it helps us
see that:
• ach stage has its own traveller needs and its own set of questions
E
• ach involves different kinds of resources
E
• ach requires a different approach for marketers
E
• ach needs a different kind of social commerce content
E

8. REEVOO THE NEW SOCIAL BOOKING JOURNEY 8
The booking journey question map
What are the key touchpoints as people move through The implications
the booking journey? If people ask different questions as they progress through their booking journey, shouldn’t
you have different kinds of answers for them? And shouldn’t you know where they go to
get help?
Identify a need Intent decision Destination decision Booking
Need shaping Shortlisting Company selection Post-booking validation
What’s out there? What type of trip do I Where did I book last Did I make the right
want? time? decision?
What can I afford?
How long will it be? Where can I get the best Did I get a good price?
When can I go and for
deal?
how long? What do other travellers Should I upgrade my room
think? Who do I trust? or seat?
Where have my friends
been? What do experts think? Do other travellers or Can I help other bookers
bookers have any advice? the way people helped
Is it suitable for kids?
me?

9. REEVOO THE NEW SOCIAL BOOKING JOURNEY 9
The booking journey resource map
What channels and tools do people use at each stage
of the booking journey?
Identify a need Intent decision Destination decision Booking
Need shaping Shortlisting Company selection Post-booking validation
Search engines Agents Hotel sites Social networks
Social networks Travel companies’ websites Airline/train/ferry sites Expert sites
Talk to friends Social networks Comparison sites Destination sites
Expert media Destination sites Agents Final booking site
Expert media

10. REEVOO THE NEW SOCIAL BOOKING JOURNEY 10
The social commerce dividend
Social commerce refers to any time advice or interactions This booker engagement delivers significant benefits
Conversion rates
with other travellers or brands is used to help people book all through the customer lifecycle, including
increase by 177% when
a trip. That advice can come in many forms, including
consumers engage with
Increased traffic through providing content that search
social content.
• otel and destination reviews
H engines love (our research indicates around a third more)
• eviews of the service of booking sites
R Reevoo Insight research,
Increased conversion rates as more people have the
2011
• QAs between bookers confidence to purchase (up to twice as high)
• Brand interaction forums
Increased booking value as each shopper spends more
• ocial media sites
S (with an average 5% uplift)
The power of social content as a way to increase Happier guests because they made the right choice
engagement along the whole purchase path is supported
by extensive research and the first-hand experience of Fewer cancallations and less lost revenue
countless travel companies.
Improved loyalty and higher lifetime value from all
of the above
Better customer insight when you listen and engage
with bookers
Taking control of traveller reviews
We won’t bury you in statistics here, but if you need
some data to support a business case, give us a call. So how do you claim all these
benefits for your business – and
prevent them leaking away to third-
party review sites? Find out in our
best practice guide.
Download it here

11. REEVOO THE NEW SOCIAL BOOKING JOURNEY 11
The social commerce
spheres of influence
Most companies understand the Social networks
importance of reviews – but plenty of them
still don’t see the need to have social
content on their own sites. Even more
ignore the full range of places where social Brochures The web
Hotel
content can make an impact. Just as the
pages
new social booking journey involves many Destination
different kinds of content, it also crosses pages
multiple channels, including: Agents
Package
Offline Your website pages
Travel shows Booking Search engines
process
Search
Advertising
pages
Comparison sites
Social commerce
sites
Mobile
45% of UK consumers use
their mobiles to research
purchases on the move Social commerce
apps
Capgemini, Online Cars
2011-2012

12. REEVOO THE NEW SOCIAL BOOKING JOURNEY 12
Your Website Mobile devices The wider web Offline
The only place you fully control and the Mobiles are fast becoming a major stop You need to extend your social content Social commerce content is making an
most important place for a well-executed on an increasing number of booking beyond the confines of your site, to impact in the ‘bricks and mortar’ world too,
social commerce strategy. journeys. And the younger the traveller, reach out to people at all stages of the as companies extend their great reviews
the more likely they are to consult their booking journey. offline.
Think about mobile. Social content that ignores the
mobile channel is missing an important Think about Think about
Reviews on hotel or package pages opportunity.
Making it easy for people to publish Including reviews and scores in brochures
Destination reviews on ‘hub pages’
Think about reviews to Facebook and Twitter
Featuring quotes from reviews in
Reviews of your customer care on the
Ensuring social commerce content is advertising
home page and booking pages Making sure your social content transfers
search-engine friendly to boost rankings
to your mobile web pages Displaying reviews on-location to capture
Social trip recommendations (“popular
Broadcasting your reviews to destination walk-in bookings
day trips for guests at this hotel”) Creating mobile apps that encourage
sites, publishers and blogs
social booking
Traveller-to-traveller QA service
Featuring social commerce content on
Making reviews accessible for
A ‘brand response’ channel so you can your social media pages
smartphones from brochures and agents
join the dialogue
Using reviews scores or quotes in emails
In one typical case,
Social content and SEO
email click through rates
improved 46% through the
Check out our free ebook on using
inclusion of review scores.
social content to enhance your SEO
strategy for lots of tips on improving
Fly Research online survey,
rankings and increasing traffic.
2011
Download it here

13. REEVOO THE NEW SOCIAL BOOKING JOURNEY 13
Socialising your 1
Landing pages
Win back traffic from third-party review
‘booking funnel’
sites and increase click-through rates
with landing pages enriched with traveller
reviews.
Destination pages
2 Reviews and traveller-to-traveller QA
As we take a closer look at the journey within your own website, the ‘funnel’ capture people’s attention (and their clicks)
metaphor can become useful again. But many businesses ignore most of at the very start of the booking journey.
this on-site funnel when deploying social commerce solutions – confining
reviews to just a few pages. The best performers spread social content Hotel pages
throughout their websites, encouraging and accelerating bookings. 3 Traveller reviews mean more revenue.
Recommendations and booker-to-booker
conversations also play a powerful on-page
role.
Packages
4 Package selection pages are the perfect
place for social recommendations.
Booking pages
5 Service reviews minimise abandonment by
removing last-minute doubts.

14. REEVOO THE NEW SOCIAL BOOKING JOURNEY 14
Socialising the entire
booking journey
The implications
Social content can make an impact far beyond just a few pages on your site – if your social
commerce strategy uses this precious content everywhere.
Identify a need Intent decision Destination decision Booking
Need shaping Shortlisting Company selection Post-booking validation
Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3 Phase 4
Hotel, package and destination reviews Destination reviews on landing pages Service reviews on-site and on-mobile Review content on site and on social sites
optimised for search
Three-way conversations with other Reviews on hotel, package and Proactive post-trip review request
Reviews shared on social media sites bookers and your team destination pages
Social sharing of reviews
Social content in agents and brochures Socialised recommendations Three-way conversations with other
Invitation to participate in traveller-to-
Broadcasting reviews to expert media bookers and your team
Review content on mobile devices traveller QA
Review content on social media sites Social network presence with social
content
Social content in agents and brochures
Social content in agents and brochures
Review content on mobile devices

15. REEVOO THE NEW SOCIAL BOOKING JOURNEY 15
Go forth and socialise
If you’ve taken one thing away from this ebook, we hope it’s this: the
new booking journey works much harder for you if you can inject social
“Social media is now
commerce content at every stage and in all spheres of influence. a ‘wherever I am’ option,
We hope the social booking journey model also proves useful as you think integrated into the mobile-
about where you can engage travellers and what kind of content is most
effective at each step and stage.
plus-social-media users’
Finally, we hope we’ve widened your idea of what social commerce can be
shopping experience and
– it starts with hotel reviews but extends much further, into service reviews, habits; 27% compare or
social recommendations and three-way conversations between travellers,
past bookers and your team – used on your site, across the web, on mobile
check prices, 24% refer
devices and offline. to reviews for brands/
At Reevoo, we’re passionate about social commerce, and its potential to places/services”
help businesses get to know their guests better, so they can attract, engage
and retain customers in the short- and long-term. And we understand Neil Glassman
how to adapt social tools to achieve businesses’ desired results, and help Social Times
businesses adapt to a traveller’s individual booking journey. So do get in
touch – we’d love the opportunity to take you through our unique approach Figures from ‘The Faces of Social Media’,
and show how it can help you drive new revenue. Knowledge Networks, 2010


16. About Reevoo
Conversations about your business are already taking place across the web
and offline, shaping consumer opinions. Reevoo enables you to join those
“Travellers should know
conversations so you can attract, engage and retain more customers. Our what other people genuinely
social commerce suite provides reviews, recommendations and community
solutions that have an immediate impact on your bottom line, and turn
thought of their own, similar
feedback into insights that can guide your business. trip, without worrying that
More than 750,000,000 Reevoo-collected reviews and conversations are the review might not be all
used every month across 18 countries. Founded in 2005, Reevoo has
pioneered a unique social commerce model that continues to deliver far
it seems. We’re delighted
better results than the industry standard for brands including Sony, Ford, to be leading the way in
Dixons, Orange, Kuoni and Kelkoo.
our sector by making that
possible with Reevoo.”
Octopus Travel
Get in touch
E: info@reevoo.com
T: +44 (0)20 7654 0350
W: www.reevoo.com