7 Brilliant Insights into Mobile Travel E-commerce: Hospitality Marketing Link Digest

I know, I know. You’re heading into a short holiday week and your time is at a premium. That’s where the Hospitality Marketing Link Digests — and our overall E-commerce Link Digest series — can help you. For instance, today we’ve got a quick round-up of 7 brilliant insights into mobile travel e-commerce, designed to help you learn what you need with a minimum of fuss. Enjoy:

1. Leonardo offers a look at what you need to know about hotel marketing in 2015 and concludes it will be big, bold, and visual. Since I was proud to be part of their expert panel, it shouldn’t surprise you that I agree.
2. Another huge trend is the further blurring of the line between hotel marketing and distribution. Bing has updated its search results on desktop and mobile, which includes the addition of a hotel booking feature. Expect to see more players (Google, Yahoo, Expedia, Booking.com, etc.) make moves in this direction in 2015.
3. Skift offers a round-up of what top travel CEOs say about mobile booking habits. First on the list? OpenTable CEO Matthew Roberts predicts that payments will play a huge role going forward. I’m pretty confident that digital wallets represent a cornerstone 2015 travel e-commerce trend (and a huge e-commerce trend, generally).
4. You could add the rise of digital wallets to this list of the 4 signs that hotel marketing’s future is mobile.
5. And to help you adapt to the your guests’ mobile future, Tnooz has an excellent infographic showing how brands can connect with modern mobile travelers.
6. Speaking of brands, Hotel News Now asks whether IHG’s purchase of Kimpton will start a consolidation push? According to Hotel News Now, the acquisition hinged in part on “…the need for brands to grow their global distribution. That can prove challenging for smaller companies such as Kimpton, which faced the challenge of stepping up the financial commitment for the infrastructure that a global platform requires.” And, obviously, the rise of mobile travel plays a role in driving that infrastructure commitment. I’ll have more on this later this week, but, don’t assume getting acquired is your only option.
7. Finally, Hotel Marketing links to a whitepaper that outlines user experience best practices for mobile travel sites. Good stuff and well worth the read.

If 7 brilliant insights simply aren’t enough for you, be sure to check out these 7 Remarkable Posts about Mobile Marketing in Travel and these 6 Great Posts About 2015’s Top Travel Marketing Trends, too. You might want to review the recap of our 6 Top Travel Marketing Posts from November, too.

Interested in learning even more about the future of hospitality e-commerce and marketing via the social, local, mobile web? You should register to receive a special report I’ve produced in conjunction with hotel marketing firm Vizergy, “Digital Hotel Marketing in a Multiscreen World.” Developed specifically for hotel and resort marketers, the lessons can help your business adapt to the changing guest environment. You can get your free copy of the report here.

And take a moment to review the slides from my recent webinar, “Digital Marketing Directions 2015: Three Key Trends Driving Your Hotel Marketing Next Year” here:

Finally, you might also enjoy some of our past coverage of the social, local, mobile web and what it means for your business, including:

• Holy Crap! Mobile’s Even Bigger Than You Thought
• How to Use Emotion and Storytelling in Digital Marketing
• 4 Lessons You Need to Know from Google’s Affluent Traveler Report
• What’s the State of Hotel Reputation Management?
• 10 Essential Lessons Learned From HSMAI’s Digital Marketing Strategy Conference
• What in the World are Priceline and TripAdvisor Up To?
• It’s Time You Take Mobile Seriously. Here’s Why
• What Expedia’s Leaders Can Teach You About Digital Strategy
• The 4 Rules of Social Marketing for Hotel Marketers