PhoCusWright's Innovation Edition

Presentation: PhoCusWright and the Future of Travel Distribution: Innovation and Technology Trends 2013

Bob Offutt and Lorraine Sileo — 16 May 2013

May 16, 2013 webinar recording and presentation deck: Bob Offutt outlines the top 10 technology and innovation trends impacting the travel industry.

Travel Innovation and Technology Trends: 2013 and Beyond

Bob Offutt — 14 May 2013

Thanks to new technologies that can sift through the practically limitless amounts of data in cyberspace, shrewd use of such data will be the key factor in determining which travel companies succeed or fail in the years to come. Companies hoping to stay competitive also need to accommodate travelers with device-agnostic access to information, address specific traveler needs with targeted offers, and take advantage of cloud computing to streamline their own business operations.

Digital Technologies in Travel: Light at the End of the Funnel?

Susan Steinbrink — 7 May 2013

Online tools, technologies and apps have already become integral parts of the travel industry and the typical consumer's decision-making path. But how effective are digital technologies at moving the needle on travel buying behavior, and do they help brands foster deeper relationships with travelers? This Analysis examines the impact of and differences between key digital technologies used in travel, including mobile, location-based services, personalization technology and more.

Presentation (May 16) PhoCusWright and the Future of Travel Distribution: Innovation and Technology Trends 2013 (Free for Innovation Edition Seatholders)

Bob Offutt and Lorraine Sileo — 6 May 2013

PhoCusWright and the Future of Travel Distribution: Innovation and Technology Trends 2013 Bob Offutt outlines the top 10 technology and innovation trends impacting the travel industry. Innovation Edition seatholders receive FREE registration to the May 16 Webinar. Click the "view" icon to gain access to the special registration link (you must be logged in to access the "view" icon).

Presentation (May 23) PhoCusWright's U.S. Vacation Rental Landscape: A Market Reinvented (Discounted for Asia Pacific, European and/or Innovation Edition Seatholders)

Douglas Quinby and Maggie Rauch — 6 May 2013

PhoCusWright's U.S. Vacation Rental Landscape: A Market Reinvented Douglas Quinby shares the results of groundbreaking vacation rental research. Asia Pacific, European and/or Innovation Edition seatholders receive discounted registration (save $100 off the regular registration price of $199) to the May 23 Webinar. Click the "view" icon to gain access to the special registration link (you must be logged in to access the "view" icon).

The Mobile Travel Experience: Pitfalls and Possibilities

Cathy Schetzina — 22 Apr 2013

The quality and functionality of mobile websites and applications within the travel, tourism and hospitality industry have shown marked improvement in the past several years. Yet at the same time, consumers have come to expect an increasingly robust mobile experience. This analysis takes stock of the mobile offerings currently available to travelers and highlights next steps for travel companies aiming to improve their mobile services.

Travel Innovation: The State of Startups 2005-2012

Chetan Kapoor, Douglas Quinby and Maggie Rauch — 5 Apr 2013

PhoCusWright has consistently chronicled the evolution of online travel, technology and innovation. Since 2008, The Travel Innovation Summit@The PhoCusWright Conference has showcased well over 100 startups and travel industry innovators. This Spotlight examines more than 500 startups founded and funded since 2005, tracking the companies, categories and regions that have attracted the most attention (and capital) during this period.

Geo-Services: Trends, Challenges and Implications for Travel

Michael Gerra — 4 Apr 2013

The ubiquitous availability of digital geographic information, combined with recent developments in mobile technologies, low-cost content publishing and widespread social networking have brought significant change to the world of geographic information systems (GIS) and mapping. This Spotlight explores the challenges and benefits of geo-services, including implications and recommendations for travel marketers and consumers.

Geo-Services: Key Drivers and Technologies

Michael Gerra — 18 Mar 2013

Geographic data and maps are critical components of daily life for people and businesses alike. Today, services based on digital maps and geographic data have become embedded in modern culture. This Spotlight explores the evolution and current status of geo-services, including its underlying foundational elements, and examines various businesses that use geo-services to deliver personal services and rich experiences.

E-Brochures: Opportunity or Reincarnated Dinosaur

Bob Offutt — 20 Feb 2013

Brochures can be excellent tools for cultivating brand and selling credibility and capability. E-brochures can transcend the limits of the traditional print model by offering vastly improved navigation, personalization, targeted advertising and customer tracking.

Hotel Ancillary Revenue in Europe

Ralph Merten — 22 Jan 2013

Compared to their counterparts in the U.S., hotels in Europe lag significantly in terms of revenue generated from ancillary sales - either directly through their own facilities, or via third parties. This analysis examines the state of ancillary hotel sales in Europe, including the types of available add-ons, distribution channels, technology drivers and growth potential.

The GDSs Enable Innovation

Bob Offutt — 31 Dec 2012

Although GDSs have a history of being slow to innovate, recent initiatives by all three of the major players are providing travel agencies and other users with fresh capabilities outside the walled garden of old.

Embracing the Big Data Phenomenon to Become an Intelligent Organization

Dan Connolly — 31 Dec 2012

Thanks to technological advancements, the amount of data an organization can create in just a single day has become mind-boggling and unwieldy. Although sifting through it in any meaningful way requires time and investment in tools for data mining and analytics, using this information intelligently can yield major results for businesses.

Presentation: PhoCusWright's Traveler Technology Trends 2012

Carroll Rheem, Marcello Gasdia and Douglas Quinby — 20 Dec 2012

Twitter, Facebook or Pinterest? Smartphone, tablet, desktop … or perhaps all three? Connecting with travelers today means navigating a quickly changing array of platforms and devices. With so many technology options at travelers' fingertips, devising a strategy to suit the diverse ways travelers search, shop, buy and share travel is more difficult than ever.

PhoCusWright's Traveler Technology Survey 2012

Marcello Gasdia and Carroll Rheem — 19 Dec 2012

Until recently, travel companies' online strategies could be comfortably confined to the desktop web. However, the explosion in consumer electronics, mobile technology and social media have transformed the online experience, making it extremely challenging to address the market with a single, mainstream strategy. Mobile devices, tablets and still-evolving social platforms have changed the way travelers connect, plan and share their experiences. PhoCusWright's Traveler Technology Survey 2012 provides travel companies and marketers a comprehensive view of how the latest devices, mobile functionality and social networks are shaping the consumer travel planning process.

To HTML5 or Not to HTML5? That Is the Question

Bob Offutt — 19 Dec 2012

Businesses need to make smart decisions about the best way to deliver functionality and a quality user experience, through both the desktop and mobile environments. While many agree that HTML5 will eventually be a standard for developing rich user interfaces, some significant milestones must first be achieved. This Spotlight examines the key characteristics of HTML5 - for both mobile and non-mobile computing platforms - and provides recommendations regarding the adoption of HTML5 for different types of applications.

The Siri Effect: What it Means to Travel Shopping

Bob Offutt — 17 Dec 2012

The debut of Siri, Apple's intelligent personal assistant, was initially greeted with enthusiastic reviews. Since then, however, reviews have been decidedly mixed. In the meantime, interest in speech-enabled artificial intelligence has skyrocketed, and developers are now racing to bring new and improved applications to the marketplace. This Analysis considers the strengths and weaknesses of some of the latest speech-enabled intelligent personal assistants, and outlines how these tools should fit into travel companies' mobile strategies.

Search: The Key to Successful Travel Sites

Bob Offutt — 11 Dec 2012

Search in its many forms has impacted the travel value chain more than any other technology. However, while search has evolved significantly in recent years, there still hasn't been a breakthrough search capability for travel. This Analysis examines various search technologies and design tools that are available to today's travel companies, along with the evolving tools that could play a major role in the future of travel search.

The New Frontier of Value Creation: Digital Data Streams

Gabe Piccoli — 15 Oct 2012

For many travel companies, real-time, digitally generated data is a barely tapped resource for value creation. This article explores how to acquire, understand and leverage this data – data your company may already have on hand – to increase customer value and improve operational efficiency.

Spotlight on Hotel Distribution

Robert Cole — 12 Oct 2012

Hoteliers face major challenges in their quest for the optimal distribution strategy – distribution mix, revenue accounting, product complexity, and cost allocation, just to name a few. This article delves into the obstacles within these obstacles and explores possible realistic solutions.