BELLEVUE, Wash.—Expedia.com recently unveiled several major updates to its Expedia mobile apps, in response to recent company research on mobile travel behaviors. The updates enable a more complete, one-stop travel resource, featuring access to a selection of flights, hotels, and now rental cars, as well as a number of local activity options in top U.S. destinations.
“Data is the heart of Expedia,” said John Kim, chief product officer at Expedia.com, “and mobile is a contextual access point to our data. Our top priority right now is providing consumers access to all our lines of business. Travelers are mobile by nature, so we strive to offer the tools that will support their adventures throughout all phases of their trip: from booking, to physically traveling, to enjoying the vacation. Consumers tell us what they want in their mobile offerings, and we’ve been steadily delivering. Our latest updates, like the ability to book cars and activities in addition to hotels and flights, help provide the content that mobile-savvy travelers demand.”
The research to which the updates responded found that more than one in five Expedia flight and hotel searches occurred on mobile devices in 2014, and more than 1.6 million Expedia customers in 2014 who booked travel on PCs used the Expedia mobile app to view their trip itinerary, which is more than double the previous year. Additionally, nearly 30 percent of Expedia customers in the U.S. used two or more types of devices to search the site in November 2014, while five percent used at least three devices, affirming the growing trend of multi-device usage among travelers.
Since the company launched Expedia mobile itineraries with real-time travel notifications in 2013, the Expedia mobile app delivered roughly five million gate change alerts, 12 million flight check-in reminders, and more than 12 million hotel check-in and check-out notifications. The “Trips” page within the Expedia app receives approximately 250,000 views per day on average, demonstrating Expedia mobile users’ reliance on this personalized itinerary feature.
