International Travel & Tourism Consumer Behaviour & Insight

This report discusses consumer behaviour and factors that can impact customer attitudes in the international travel & tourism industry. It also analyses emerging market and customer trends and how the customer behaviour and marketers are responding to the decision-making process. The report examines the stages of the consumer decision-making journey and the importance of journey map for marketers to map a path to understand decision making of customers. It also discusses the difference between the decision-making process for B2C and B2B and different approaches to market research and method of research.

International Travel &
Tourism Consumer
Behaviour & Insight

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................3
ACTIVITY 1....................................................................................................................................3
Consumer behaviour and attitude................................................................................................3
Examining different factors that influence travel and tourism consumer behaviour..................3
Explaining Consumer trends are changing due to the impact of technology..............................4
ACTIVITY 2 ...................................................................................................................................5
Examining the stages of the consumer decision-making journey...............................................5
Importance of journey map for Marketers to map a path to understand decision making of
customers....................................................................................................................................7
ACTIVITY 3....................................................................................................................................7
Discussing the difference between the decision-making process for B2C and B2B..................7
Compare and contrast the key difference in the decision-making processes between B2B
&B2C..........................................................................................................................................8
Different approaches to market research and method of research .............................................9
ACTIVITY 4 ...................................................................................................................................9
Marketers influence on customer decision-making process.......................................................9
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................12

INTRODUCTION
Consumer behaviour means it is the case study of group, individual person or company
and all the business related activities connected with the products purchase and utilization or
disposal of services and goods. The case study will discuss international travel & tours company
named as TUI UK. The present report will give detailed information about consumer behaviour
and factors that can impact customer attitudes. Also, it will analyse the emerging market and
customer trends and how the customer behaviour and marketers are responding to the decision-
making process. It will explain stages of the journey map and its importance for marketers.
Further the report will discuss business to business and business to customers and their
approaches.
ACTIVITY 1
Consumer behaviour and attitude
The behaviour of customer consists of how the emotions, attitude, changing trends and
taste of audience can affect purchasing behaviour. There are different kinds of consumer
behaviour such as buying and products variety seeking behaviour and others (Kim and Byun,
2021). This is basically determined by types of products a customer wants on the basis of
preferences and habits. For example- if a customer like premium quality and branded products,
then they will only purchase superior quality products no matter what price does the shopkeeper
take to sell. According to experts, the decision-making process of audience who buy products for
their personal use. This also includes how the customers behave while deciding to purchase a
good or services that satisfies the needs and preferences.
Examining different factors that influence travel and tourism consumer behaviour.
There are many factors that impact customer attitudes due to changing in market trends.
A customer is led by his social class, family, culture, beliefs, personality and others. It is affected
by changing in market trends and technology as well as social environment. Due to this, there is
a quick change in the decision-making process (Hosta and Zabkar, 2021). A buying decision is
the result of each and every factor among social, personal and psychological. Their shopping
habits and the quality products they buy will influence the market conditions.
Social factors- This factors includes group member of society, social roles, family and
status. It will determine the external influences on buying decisions directly or indirectly. Every

category has different taste like teen may want the trending shoes model and smart watches used
by popular people.
Cultural and personal factors- These factors involves culture, lifestyle, occupation,
personality and age, decision makings process also influenced by the characteristics of each and
every customer (Di Crosta and et.al., 2021). Customer values, hobbies and habits of purchasing
goods have potential effect the buying attitudes. In order to develop appropriated products
marketers provide facilities to married couple and young generation on the basis of their taste
and needs. TUI UK has attracted many customers by keeping mind about culture of customers
and different factors while creating its marketing strategies.
Psychological factors- It will affect purchasing decisions which includes learning, belief
and motivation (hierarchy of needs by maslow's). For this every marketers needs to know about
people behaviour and their role in order to maintain marketing strategies. Due to beliefs and
attitudes the buying attitudes of the consumer highly impacted as they change their mind if
someone influences them. Marketers of TUI UK can attract the customer in order to changes the
attitudes and behaviour by inventing and launching special campaign of goods or services. The
travel brand has motivated its target market by providing various facilities as per the needs of
customers.
Explaining Consumer trends are changing due to the impact of technology
Nowadays, information technology has played a vital role in the travel and tourism
industry. With the help of new technology, the industry has reduced costs and enhance
operational efficiency in order to improve the customer experience as per the need and
preference. TUI UK utilizes technology to reduce labour costs and also to provide solution for
customer service issues (Brune and et.al., 2021). The most apparent manifestation of utilizing
technology in the travel industry and hospitality industry is online bookings. The customer
makes quick decision about their journey by using internet and book online for transportation,
check-in and checkout times.
Technology allows guests to make quick and informed decisions. Customers are more
attracted towards innovative ideas and new technologies. Thus, it will impact the decision-
making process and customers taste. Technologies like voice search, 5G, facial recognition and
easy payment modes has led to the adoption of smart equipments. Increased demand for
transparency and online purchasing has affected the consumer trends.

According to Ali, (2021), it is evaluated that emerging trends in customer trends has
affected decision-making process and market conditions. For example- if a customer believes in
health conscious and Eco friendly then they will only purchase healthy and organic food so, the
industry needs to provide facilities in order to make them satisfy. On the other hand, the expert
Mascarenhas, (2021), commented that without using technology the industry cannot satisfy the
needs of customers.
ACTIVITY 2
Examining the stages of the consumer decision-making journey
The process in which customers decide what to buy, which includes information
searching, problem recognition , service/products choice and evaluation of alternatives is called
consumer decision-making process. For marketers, this process is mysterious, as the trends and
technology has highly impacted customer taste and preferences (Nilashi and et.al., 2021.). The
TUI UK has adopted various strategies to satisfy the basic needs of customer in order to
determine what services will best fit their needs and habits.
Problem recognition- The very first step of decision-making journey of customer is by
recognizing the basic need for a service. The industry keep focus on lifestyle, change in taste and
technology. By improving brand campaign in order to build brand awareness for travel the TUI
UK is attracting new customers. Example- the industry use tool for campaign and its
management by doing proper planning and customer interaction, here the firm initiates and
supports the audience which follow the communication message.
Information search- The second step is to searching information, here they must browse
through different options at a physical location or online source like google or direct meet
customer for their reviews or feedback. Example- The company create plan in order to give
access to the information and knowledge they want, for buying products or services.
Evaluation of alternatives- The third step is to develop criteria for what they need in a
product or services (7 stages of the consumer decision-making process, 2021). They compare
alternate options against various products in the form of product quality, low cost and benefits.
For example- the customer compares the prices of transportation online and compares a few
travel agency prices. They will soon be able to book online multi day tours including night
accommodation and other activities. Offering them with the option to customize their vacation.

Product/ services choice and outcomes- This is the step where customer has been
waiting for the actual purchase of services. Once they have gathered all the relevant information
and feedback from past customers, they arrive at a logical conclusion on the services or goods to
the purchasing for a specific travel and tourism service purchase. For example- TUI UK has done
job correctly in order to satisfy their customer so that they can decide to purchase services. Post
purchase engagement include feedback emails, follow up SMS, coupons and discount to attract
the clients to make an additional purchase.
Customer journey Map
Nowadays, travel industry uses tools to better understand customer behaviour and their
decision-making journey. TUI UK use customer journey map in order to analyse customer
decision and refining brand marketing and sales tactics or actions. According to experts, it is
mandatory to map out the actions of customers.
Pre purchase- Identifying targets and goals is important steps of journey map. In order to
be able to provide more attractive experience the company has developed buyers journey stages
like consideration and awareness program (Ali and Anwar, 2021). By adopting campaign and
promotion of services the industry has map out the first step of journey map. The brand has
adopted traditional and modern ways such as newspaper articles, SEO strategies and
advertisements. Coupon Discounts and offers related to holiday package has been provided by
the brand.
Purchase- By this stage, after exploring different options customers have come to an
understanding about the payment options and pricing of product. Then they finally purchase the
services and goods if they feel satisfied.
Post purchase- This is the step where company evaluate and map out the satisfaction or
dissatisfaction level of customers. After purchasing, feedback and personal reviews needs to be
taken by company. At this step, TUI UK needs to look at the purchasing decision and sale and
what more changes is needed for the future success so that process can be more efficient and
smooth. Testimonials and questionaire on review sites would be helpful in this stage.
According to Han, (2021) to successfully attract customers, industry must create a
journey map in order to refine brand marketing strategies. Whereas, the expert Sheth, (2021),
have commented that without post purchase evaluation industry won't be able to find out the
satisfaction level of clients.

Importance of journey map for Marketers to map a path to understand decision making of
customers
 It is essential to study customer attitudes and behaviour as it helps marketers about the
purchasing decisions and with this they can fill in the gap in order to satisfy needs and
wants.
 Identifying the products and services that customer needed as per segmentation strategy
is the first stage of map a path to purchase. It helps to plot audience path to buy services
by providing them relevant information and knowledge they want.
 By mapping journey Marketers allows creating personalized experiences so that they can
offer quality services for every traveller. By doing so, the firm understand competitors
better and allows outlining new courses of action to meet the basic needs of clients.
 It helps to pick out where the company may be falling short and what more improvement
is needed.
ACTIVITY 3
Discussing the difference between the decision-making process for B2C and B2B
Elements B2C B2B
Meaning It is business model in which
one can sell products or
services directly to customers.
It is an online business process
that offers online sales
between two companies.
Approaches It involves more emotional
purchases which includes
fundraising and social
marketing.
The company needs to
research target customers and
focus on building relationship.
Decision review and
evaluation
The marketer needs to keep
record on buying decision by
determining the feedback from
them directly through surveys
and other resources like
emails.
To evaluate what went good
and what more is needed to be
change in the future to make
the process easy. The marketer
needs to keep track on
purchasing decision which the

B2B clients have made.
Cost of sale and investment Sale cost is low as compared
to B2B.
Cost of sale for the B2B
business it can be more
expensive in nature.
Example of tourism business It allows the travel operator to
interact with the customers
directly such as personal
discussion.
It allows the operator of travel
in order to interact with the
guest via websites or email.
Customer connection TUI UK is focusing on method
where individual clients are
the users of service or products
in order to create profit (B2B
vs. B2C, 2021). It is important
to target customer when
promoting or advertising
business.
TUI UK is focusing on
connecting with their loyal
customer by using digital
platform as there is an
increasing trend of social
media.
Parties involved Individual person or small
group the company can easily
connect to them in order to
build relationship.
It involves multiple audience
and groups for decisions
related to purchasing.
Compare and contrast the key difference in the decision-making processes between B2B &B2C
Differences B2C B2B
Pricing models Pricing is Single tier for all
clients that are only impacted
by discounts.
It offers multiple levels based
on frequency of orders in
terms of discount.
Customer service For any queries B2C
companies use customer
support representatives.
Here, the company uses
account managers to manage
customer services related issue

in order to increase e-
commerce sales.
Website structure Online marketplace in order to
avoid headless e-commerce
cost.
Website are being used as
dashboards
Different approaches to market research and method of research
Market research allows a firm or any business to find out the targeting market and get
feedback from customers about their preference and experiences of services. There are different
ways to perform market research, to find out the customer trend, behaviour and advancement.
Surveys- Personal surveys is typically conducted in location like shopping malls where
large number of people can be seen. Here the company can promote or take feedback about
quality, packaging of products. TUI UK follows telephone surveys, email surveys and other
online surveys to collect customer opinions and their interest.
Personal interviews and focus groups- These methods provide more data and
information than other surveys method. With this method companies can find out the issues
related to new launch products or services and what more need to be developed in the existing
products or services.
Observation and field trials- By observing customer action with the help of videotaping
in the stores or anywhere the company can observe the habits and shopping patterns or like
dislikes of customers. The best way to test customer response is to place a new product in the
selected store. It can help to improve packaging pattern and adjusting prices.
Method of research
Primary research- This method is used by company in order to gather the customer
opinions related to products or services. It is a process in which one can gathered information
through self conducted method of research. It is a time-consuming and costly process.
Secondary research- with the help of past collected data or studies the company can
gather information. It is less expensive in nature as the study has already been published and
organized by others. TUI UK uses this method and previous sources like articles and reference
books.

ACTIVITY 4
Marketers influence on customer decision-making process.
Marketers needs to focus on consumer decision processes during and after the purchase
of service or product by customers.
Need recognition- while making decision to purchase products or services, the first step
is to define the issue or need recognition. Marketers can target audience by engaging in guest
blogging and writing content for different sites it will help audience to reach at official websites
thus, it will ultimately make introduction about brand and services. For example- Marketers
needs to distribute detailed information of products and services through campaign. Where they
can provide holiday package information and other hospitality offers.
Information search- The next stage of purchasing decision process is when the
customers start looking for detailed information that will help them solve their issues. At this
point, marketers help them better understand their situation and identify what will fix their
issues. The best way to solve problem is online research and conducts search engine to find out
the solutions. Marketer needs to make their brand visible in online search through checklists,
videos and guides. If the marketer is arranging campaign then they must include details about
quality, features and others characteristics of products or services. Encourage customer to leave
opinions through websites will be beneficial.
Evaluating alternatives – During this step, customer evaluate all their brand options on
scale of attributes in which they have the ability to deliver and offer the advantages that they are
seeking. They look for highest quality and affordable services so marketers needs to make a
comparison list of multiple actions of customers this includes reviews. To catch customers in this
stage marketers needs to engage in marketing and optimize their official websites so that they
can reach easily.
Purchase decision- Finally purchase decision is made by customers because they
evaluated all the options and value that. Here, they decide from whom they should buy and
whether to buy or not. After conducting all step the customer just needs a clear path to buy
services. For example- Marketer needs to present reinforcements like discounts, testimonials and
personal reviews which will attract customers.
Post purchase evaluation- This stage is little different from other step of the purchasing
decision process. The customer can only get to this stage after making it through the purchase

decision stage. Marketer needs to set up effective plans to reconnect with customers with the
help of feedback through emails, SMS and personal surveys.
For example- By evaluating the case study of decision-making of customers, it is noted
that every stage in consumer decision-making process plays a vital role. Marketing managers
needs to make strategic decisions, arrange marketing programs and control over any uncertainty.
They need to use promotional videos and run digital advertisements. They should maintain
consistency across all digital platforms and social media. Always keep track on advancement
technology for online booking software. Due to increase in competition in the sector of
hospitality, travel and tourism, Marketer needs to set marketing plan in which they should
contain necessary pints like budget, analysing competitors and target market through
segmentation and positioning.
CONCLUSION
To conclude, for a successful customer oriented market service provider of travel
industry should work potentially by keeping track on factors affecting customer trends and taste.
As travel and tourism is visual business, it is mandatory to promote it on social media such as
Facebook, Instagram and others. By evaluating the report it is noted that the company make its
market position by keep studying consumer purchasing behaviour. With this study it is
concluded that marketers needs to keep track on different levels of consumer decision-making
process and journey map in order to achieve success.

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