Online travel – ring the alarm

PWC’s report on online travel agents sounds a classic warning – no one wins if the consumer shops for the lowest price! Online travel has seen marvelous strides in its evolution towards becoming the most preferred way to book time off for Americans – however, shoppers have also gotten supersavvy in ferreting out the real deals from marketing gimmicks and hole-in-the-pocket specials! Price – the great leveller – will always remain one of the many reasons people shop online. Another study. the American Express holiday travel survey reports a similar preoccupation with prices and deals although convenience (37%) didn’t fare too badly as a factor. Outside of travel, amazon.com is a good case study of the triumph of convenience (ease of shopping, product selection & shipping) over price. All is not lost if we remember why people took to booking travel on the web in the first place!