MobPartner Mobile Travel Study: Mobile Users Reject Spam, Engage With Relevancy And Trust
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
Survey reveals the need to avoid “spammy” travel ads to engage users.
A recent study conducted by On Device reveals that mobile customers ignore spam and irrelevant messages from mobile travel ads, according to a press release.
Carried out by On Device and sponsored by MobPartner, the study surveyed 1000 mobile users regarding their response to mobile travel ads as part of their travel research and planning process. Of respondents, 38 percent were reluctant to engage with mobile travel ads because they were concerned about spam, while 33 percent reported that those ads were simply irrelevant. The likelihood of engaging rose once users had engaged with a trusted mobile travel ad.
The study also found that 32 percent indicated they would click on a mobile travel ad from a trusted brand, while 25 percent of those who had responded to an ad subsequently made a vacation-related purchase. According to the findings, users are more willing to share personal information when they trust a source.
On the flip side, however, only 17 percent of respondents stated that mobile travel ads are very effective, and more than half were not sure of their effectiveness. Approval ratings ads did increase dramatically among users who actually opened them (33 percent) or used them to complete a vacation-related purchase (41 percent).
“Trusted brands, good offers and relevance are the biggest drivers for engagement with mobile ads related to travel,” Alexandra Travlos, client service analyst at On Device Research in charge of the study, explained in the release.
Thirty-three percent of those who responded to an ad viewed mobile video, while 32 percent said they responded to an ad within a mobile game or application, and 30 percent engaged with a traditional banner ad. Twenty-nine percent of those who clicked on a mobile ad consequently visited a mobile website, while 19 percent ended up downloading an app.
The study also found that most respondents do early planning and research on a laptop rather than a smart phone or tablet, citing ease of site comparison and security as top reasons. They also said that it is easier to print information, and said that many companies still lack optimized mobile web sites, making access of information better from laptops.
“Once initial barriers are overcome and trust is established, users appear eager to make use of travel-related ads to get information and even book travel,” says Djamel Agaoua , CEO of MobPartner.
“This speaks to the need for offering truly helpful and relevant travel ads.”