FIXING TRAVEL
RETAILING
TRAVEL'S BACK, BABY
Borders are opening. Bags are packed. Planes are full of excited travelers and hotels are bustling. It’s official: travel is recovering.
By the end of 2021, the global travel industry recovered more than 50% of its gross activity compared to pre-pandemic levels. And, if recovery continues along the same trajectory, it could reach 85% by the end of 2022. Compare that to things just two years ago, when travel went from an all-time high to an all-time low of only 5% of expected volumes overnight. Not bad.
But as travel returns, the way it’s sold is also back under the microscope. Because after two years of doing almost everything online, consumers expect better. We asked 2,000 people from around the world how buying travel compares to buying goods, services, and experiences in other industries. This is what they told us.
PEOPLE WANT TO TRAVEL MORE THAN ANYTHING
BUT BUYING TRAVEL IS NOT SO FUN
THERE'S A WIDE EXPERIENCE GAP

AND DON'T JUST BLAME THE BOOMERS
SHOPPING SHOULD BE EASIER
- Booking a restaurant online
- Buying clothes online
- Browsing and buying electronic/physical goods online
- Travel
EVEN TRAVEL AGENCIES AGREE
Our travel agency customers agree that selling travel should be a lot simpler, and that modernizing travel retailing will help them sell more.
Three-quarters (74%) of agents we surveyed agree that buying and selling could be simplified. And 86% of agents agree that modernizing will help them sell more.

Holly Lombardo, of Holly Lombardo Travel in Atlanta on selling travel in a pandemic
Source: travelweekly.com
COMPARISON IS COMPLEX
OTHER INDUSTRIES MAKE IT EASIER






FASHION PROVES ONE SIZE DOESN'T FIT ALL

THE DIGITAL EXPERIENCE NEEDS AN UPDATE
BOOKING BUSINESS TRAVEL IS BEHIND LEISURE
ONLY AGENCIES CAN FIX RETAILING
Travel retailing needs an upgrade, but who’s going to do it? Our view is: travel agencies are the only players in the market that are truly capable of delivering the modern retailing standards that other industries thrive on. And here’s why.
CONVENIENCE IS CRUCIAL
CHOICE BEATS PRICE
READY TO RETAIL
THREE BUILDING BLOCKS FOR MODERN RETAILING
WIDER BREADTH OF CHOICE
Travelers fear not seeing everything on offer. They want options, lots of options. The way to reassure them they’re not being duped is to have the breadth of content needed to build trust.
That’s not just the cheapest fares, it’s the best fares, the most suitable fares, the most convenient fares, and the ones people will actually buy, all in one place. In travel retailing, choice is everything.
MODERNIZED MERCHANDISING
Matching the right product to the right consumer quickly, easily, and transparently means redesigning merchandising. Travel must move beyond tweaking every screen to earn an extra cent, and sell at the right time with booking tools that are simpler than the standard, confusing series of forms and tables.
The most successful retailers sell the sizzle, not the steak. Travel can drive an emotional lift with visuals like reuniting with family, meeting colleagues face-to-face, or sipping a piña colada by the pool.
CUSTOMER CENTRICITY
Repeat business depends on making customers happy. But travel brands tend to specialize in one step of the journey, rather than delivering across the full trip. That means missed opportunities to improve the experience pre-trip, in-trip, and post-trip.
You don’t need a points-based loyalty program — it’s about finding ways to connect, inspire, and impress. Optimizing and automating with self-service, data, and insights can both reduce costs and improve customer experience — but avoid trade-offs between those goals.
THE REWARD FOR RETAILING
The benchmark of successful modern retailing is true loyalty and repeat business. By restoring clarity, confidence, and fun to travel shopping, we can grow trust and improve the way travel is perceived compared to other industries.
Whether looking at better content, modern merchandising, or more customer centricity, the focus must be on delivering lifetime value. This is the path to better, longer-term relationships with customers and breaking the cycle of re-acquisition which plagues the entire travel industry.
The industry was once seen as a retailing pioneer — in fact, flight tickets were the first items to be sold online. And travel can be a leader once again. But we need to learn from outside our comfort zone and take lessons from retailing greats in other industries. And we need to sell to customers in the way they want and expect.
