More using mobiles to plan holidays

Consumers are less wary about using their mobile phones to make travel bookings, reveals a survey by Google and IPSOS.

With close to 165 million mobile internet users set to go online by March next year, m-commerce is expected to constitute more than 25 per cent of the e-commerce market share, which was estimated to be around $14 billion last year.

The study, which surveyed more than 1,500 smartphone users in the country, reveals 87 per cent of the respondents used their phones to research travel plans while 66 per cent said they had booked some element of a trip using their smartphones. Seventy-six per cent of those surveyed also said they use both computers and mobile phones for various stages of travel, including research, planning, booking, experience and sharing. Smartphones and tablets emerged as the first choice for travel research due to convenience. “Over one-third of travel-related search queries on Google India are now coming from mobiles, with queries from smartphones growing at 397 per cent year on year,” said Vikas Agnihotri, director, Travel & BFSI, Google India. Travellers in India go through pictures on social networks and read up on travel sites, before making a decision.

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The New Indian Express
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