Kundenbewertungen in der Tourismusbranche: Ungenutztes Potential für Reiseunternehmen

According to a recent study by Simon-Kucher & Partners, ratings left by other travelers are increasingly influencing how customers plan their vacations. While most travel companies are aware of this, many of them do not know how to manage ratings strategically.

Atlanta, GA, Oct. 1, 2019 – Around 60 percent of travelers worldwide use customer ratings in their purchasing decisions when planning vacations, while 43 percent regularly leave ratings themselves. Even though the majority of companies are aware of how important ratings are, only roughly 20 percent of the firms surveyed currently have an effective strategy to deal with ratings. These were the key findings of study Trend Radar 2019 – The Rating Economy (Focus on Tourism)* by the global strategy and marketing consultancy Simon-Kucher & Partners.

Travel companies recognize the power of ratings

The study also shows that, when making a purchase, ratings are the third most important factor after product features and price, which means they are even more influential than brand in the decision-making process. Many companies already recognize the key role ratings play in business. In fact, 55 percent of companies surveyed consider ratings “very important”. Four out of five companies surveyed even expect the importance of ratings to increase over the next three years, primarily affecting brand development, sales, and pricing. “Hoteliers, in particular, have known for years that customers’ trust in established providers can decrease very quickly due to low customer ratings. Our project experience confirms that there is a clear correlation between damage to reputation and weaker sales figures,” says Dimitris Hiotis, Global Head of the Leisure, Travel and Transportation practice and at Simon-Kucher.

Companies have yet to adapt their business strategies

What’s even more surprising is that, when making strategic decisions, the companies surveyed only incorporate these findings to a limited extent. Only a fifth of providers state that they have a clear strategy for handling ratings, whereas 27 percent use ratings as KPIs. Just six percent draw conclusions from direct customer feedback to improve their product and quality management. “There’s enormous untapped potential here. If companies focus on four or five of the most common criticisms, they can reduce their risk of receiving low ratings,” Dimitris adds. Ideally, this will also prevent the number of bookings from falling. In fact, 33 percent of the consumers surveyed said that they had decided not to book a particular offer due to poor ratings or opted for a higher-rated alternative.

The study also shows that, in addition to actively managing their weaknesses, companies can benefit financially from nudging satisfied customers to leave ratings, since high ratings can increase the price customers are willing to pay for a hotel or trip. Interestingly, 50 percent of the consumers surveyed said they would be more inclined to rate their experience if they were offered something in return. “Companies should cultivate ratings with a straightforward process and encourage their customers to leave ratings,” explains Dan Biffl, Senior Director at Simon-Kucher. “Currently, companies in the travel and hospitality industry are leaving a huge amount of possibilities untapped. Companies need to recognize that a professional strategy for ratings can positively grow both their top- and bottom-line.”

Full research results are available on request.

*About the study: The Trend Radar is a two-part study conducted by Simon-Kucher & Partners for the first time in March/April 2019, focusing on the “rating economy.” For the first part of the study, approximately 6,400 consumers in 23 countries worldwide were asked about their rating behavior. For the second part, more than 1,600 companies across all industries answered questions about their rating strategies.

Simon-Kucher & Partners, Strategy & Marketing Consultants:

Simon-Kucher & Partners is a global consulting firm with more than 1,400 professionals in 39 offices worldwide focusing on TopLine Power®. Founded in 1985, the company has more than 30 years of experience providing strategy and marketing consulting and is regarded as the world’s leading pricing advisor.