Marketing User Research
Comprehensive insights from our user research efforts that shape our product decisions and marketing strategies. These findings help us understand our users better and create more effective solutions for their needs. This is especially pertinent for the post booking flow to further inform future pre-booking product and marketing implementations (onboarding, product lines, user pain points, etc.)
Key Research Findings
User Behavior Pattern
Users consistently start their booking journey with destination research before considering price, spending an average of 3.2 hours across multiple sessions before making a decision.
Pain Point
87% of users reported frustration with hidden fees discovered late in the booking process, leading to a 42% abandonment rate at checkout.
Opportunity
Users showed strong interest in personalized travel recommendations based on past bookings, with 78% willing to share more data for better customization.
Competitive Edge
Transparent pricing and flexible cancellation policies were cited as the top two factors in choosing between similar booking platforms.
User Segments
← Swipe to see more user segments →Budget Explorers
Characteristics:
Behaviors:
- Books 3-4 months in advance
- Primarily uses mobile devices
- Compares across 4+ platforms
- Values deals over loyalty programs
- While up for the best deal, routing does matter… users opted for 1-stop each way or nonstop only
Marketing Opportunities:
- Flash deals and limited-time offers
- Price comparison features
- Destination discovery based on budget
- Callouts for specific routing and the why behind what makes a deal good
Luxury Planners
Characteristics:
Behaviors:
- Books 6+ months in advance
- Desktop/laptop preferred
- Spends 40% more time researching
- Values exclusivity and personalization
- Values experience (e.g. premium cabins, stays, on-the-ground activities/food)
Marketing Opportunities:
- Premium content and detailed guides
- Concierge-style booking assistance
- Loyalty program with exclusive benefits
- Premium cabin deals and walkthroughs
Business Travelers
Characteristics:
Behaviors:
- Books 1-2 weeks in advance
- Multiplatform usage (mobile/desktop)
- Returns to same destinations repeatedly
- Values seamless booking process
Marketing Opportunities:
- Streamlined booking with partners/filters with saved preferences
- Work-friendly property highlights
- Business loyalty program/wallet integration
Family Coordinators
Characteristics:
Behaviors:
- Books 2-5 months in advance
- Primarily uses tablets/desktops
- Reads 30% more reviews than average
- Values family-friendly amenities
- Desires less stops due to the number of people traveling
- Often desires baggage inclusive (main cabin, not basic economy)
Marketing Opportunities:
- Family-specific filters and search options
- Curated family-friendly destination guides
- Visual content highlighting family amenities
- Nonstop/main cabin callouts
Research Insights
← Swipe to see more insights →Booking Behavior
Key Findings:
Pain Points:
- Lost information when switching devices
- Price fluctuations during research phase
- Too many steps to complete booking
Recommendations:
- Seamless cross-device experience
- Price tracking notifications
- Streamlined booking process via taking the user through Google Flights/direct to airline
Mobile Experience
Key Findings:
Pain Points:
- Slow loading globe/map interfaces
- Limited filtering options compared to desktop
- Difficulty comparing multiple options
Recommendations:
- Performance optimization for the globe
- Full feature parity with desktop
- Side-by-side comparison tool
Content Effectiveness
Key Findings:
Pain Points:
- Misleading or outdated photos
- Generic descriptions
- Insufficient information about surroundings/flight/route information
Recommendations:
- Enhanced photo verification system
- Specific, factual highlights
- Expanded neighborhood/destination information (e.g. guide integration)
Trust Factors
Key Findings:
Pain Points:
- Suspicion of fake or incentivized reviews
- Outdated reviews still prominently displayed
- Unclear how issues were resolved
Recommendations:
- Verified booking review badges
- Time-based review weighting
- Follow-up resolution tracking
User Loyalty
Key Findings:
Pain Points:
- Confusing reward/referral structures
- High redemption thresholds
- Lack of meaningful status benefits
Recommendations:
- Simplified, transparent rewards (such as a wallet)
- Early access to deals for members (something we already do but can further emphasize)
- Personalized recognition touches
Customer Booking Journey
Typical User Booking Journey
- Social media content
- Destination emails
- Word of mouth
- Search results
- Destination guides
- Reviews & ratings
- Saved favorites
- Price alerts
- Availability calendars
- Checkout process
- Payment security
- Traveler profile that is linked to their airline confirmation and other travel details (making Going a one-stop-shop akin to Wanderlog)
- Confirmation emails
- Itinerary management
- Pre-arrival emails/push
- Mobile app reminders
- In-stay communications
- Customer service
- On-location amenities/recommendations
- Review requests
- Re-engagement emails
- Loyalty program updates
Research Methodology
User Surveys
Collected quantitative data from 1,200+ users across multiple demographics to identify patterns in booking behavior and preferences.
In-depth Interviews
Conducted 42 one-on-one interviews to gather detailed qualitative insights about the user journey, pain points, and motivations.
Usability Testing
Observed 28 users completing common booking tasks to identify friction points and opportunities for improvement.
Analytics Review
Analyzed platform data from over 50,000 booking sessions to understand user flow, drop-off points, and conversion patterns.
Competitive Analysis
Evaluated 12 competing booking platforms to benchmark features, identify market gaps, and understand industry best practices.
Strategic Recommendations
Streamline Mobile Experience
Optimize the booking flow on mobile to require fewer steps and maintain state across devices, addressing the 68% of users who research on mobile but complete booking elsewhere.
Enhance Visual Content
Implement standardized photography guidelines and aircraft views/guides to address the 83% of users who cited misleading visuals as a primary frustration.
Transparent Pricing Model
Develop an all-inclusive pricing display from the start of the search process to tackle the 42% booking abandonment rate at the final price reveal stage. Integrate a more seamless port over to the airline, OTA, or Google Flights for the final booking/payment process.
Personalized Recommendations
Create an AI-driven recommendation engine based on past booking behavior, with 78% of users expressing willingness to share data for more relevant suggestions.
Segment-Specific Features
Further develop targeted personalization tools for each user segment (e.g., family-specific filters, business travel profiles) to improve relevance and conversion rates.
Review Verification System
Implement a verified booking badge and recency weighting for reviews to address trust concerns, with 91% of users relying on reviews for booking decisions.
Research Impact
This comprehensive research has guided our product development roadmap and marketing strategy. By addressing the identified pain points and leveraging the opportunities discovered, we've seen:
- 32% increase in mobile conversion rates
- 47% improvement in user satisfaction scores
- 28% reduction in booking abandonment
- 53% higher return visitor rate
Our ongoing research continues to inform iterative improvements to create the most user-friendly booking experience possible.