The Customer Journey: An analysis of decision making at a coastal resort

The Customer Journey: An analysis of decision making at a coastal resort

Business Development

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Introduction Established in 2013, the National Coastal Tourism Academy’s remit is to boost tourism growth across the UK’s seaside towns and resorts, with particular emphasis on job creation and economic regeneration.

From the outset, it became clear that while variations of theoretical customer journeys are plentiful, relatively little is known about how – or why – tourists decide to visit a coastal destination and how their experience can be “managed” to encourage repeat visits and increase revenue generation.

Through primary research, the NCTA aimed to ascertain how Bournemouth’s visitors make decisions and by linking with other research create a framework for use in other destinations.

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The Customer Journey

METHODOLOGY

CUSTOMER JOURNEY MODELS

The NCTA commissioned Bournemouth University’s Market Research Group (MRG) to undertake desk research into existing customer journey models, discuss various stages of the customer journey with stakeholders and to undertake primary research with visitors to Bournemouth.

Customer Journey models have been produced before for the tourism sector and the following were considered by the Market Research Group in advance of the questionnaire design:

More than 600 face to face interviews were conducted with visitors between April and September 2014 and additionally nearly 300 hard-copy questionnaires with reply-paid return envelopes were distributed. In all, 916 responses were received.

Following the production of the report, further analysis was undertaken looking at responses in relation to 6 specified market sectors which are reported on separately within the report.

While, much of the Customer Journey Report is, of necessity, Bournemouth-centric, many of the research exercises and the learning points can translate to coastal communities and economies of all types and sizes.

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One North East (Live Leisure) London Development Agency VisitEngland Visitor Journey Action Plan Visit Scotland Improving Customer Journey 2020 Market Research Group Visitor Journey Although all the above models are valid and suggest largely similar stages in the journey, the NCTA has based further analysis of the primary research on a five stage model as touch points which can be clearly identified at each of these stages: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Choosing the Destination Planning and Booking the Trip Travelling to the Destination Experience at the Destination Sharing the Experience

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RESEARCH SAMPLE The overwhelming majority (86%) of respondents were resident in the UK. Roughly one-third were resident in the Southwest, and roughly one-quarter (26%) were from Dorset.

Other main source markets represented in the survey sample were Southeast England (26% of respondents), the East of England (7%), London (6%) and the West Midlands (4%). Of the international respondents, most were from Germany and Spain.

Respondents in the 16-24 age group made up the largest proportion of the survey sample (36%). Those aged 25-34 constituted 22%, 14% were in the 35-44 bracket, 7% aged 45-54, 6% aged 55-64, and 15% in the 65-plus age group. By gender, respondents were split 62% female, 38% male.

It is recognised that customers behave differently when visiting a destination and obtaining information depending on who they are with, where they are from, how long they are staying and why they are travelling. With this in mind the following market segments were identified from the research sample.

Respondents were also categorised by the company they kept. Those travelling alone made up 12% of the research sample; couples accounted for 22%; family groups 24%; and friendship groups 19%. Mixed groups of family members and friends made up 5% of the total; international students accounted for 15%; and “organised groups” and “other groups” made up the remainder.

Day Visitors

Those travelling from and returning to home on the day of their visit

Domestic Tourists Pre family (Pre family tourists)

Younger visitors, staying at least one night and not travelling with dependent children

Domestic Tourists Family (Family tourists)

Staying at least one night travelling with dependent children

Domestic Tourists Empty Nester (Empty Nester Tourists)

Older visitors staying at least one night not travelling with dependent children

Business Travellers

Visiting for business/events or conference purpose

International students

Visitors staying in England to study

The majority of the respondents could be grouped into the above categories as shown below and further analysis of the results was based on these groups.

42% of respondents were visiting Bournemouth on a day trip; 18% were on a 4+-night holiday; and 16% were visiting on a short break of one to three nights’ duration.

74% of Pre family tourists were on a short break, with the rest on a holiday of 4+ nights. Family tourists were much more likely to be on a holiday of 4+ nights (52%) 80% of empty-nester tourists were on a longer holiday. The research therefore suggests that pre family tourists are more likely to take short breaks – certainly to Bournemouth – than other groups.

Day Visitors Pre family tourists Family tourists Empty nester tourists Business Travellers International students

42.2% 6.3% 13.1% 7.5% 9.3% 14.6%

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The Customer Journey

ACCESS TO TECHNOLOGY Mobile phone

47%

(only calls/texts)

Smartphone

72%

Tablet

39%

Laptop

52%

Desktop Computer No access to any of these

32% 2%

ACCESS TO SOCIAL MEDIA Facebook

76%

Google +

Tumblr Pinterest LinkedIn

41% 11% 13% 16%

Youtube

57%

Instagram Do not use

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In terms of social network sites, the most popular are shown in the chart to the left.

Facebook is the most popular site used by 76% of respondents, but dropping significantly for family tourists (67%) and empty nester tourists (33%) although this is still the most popular site for them.

36%

Twitter

A high proportion of respondents had access to technology which could theoretically be used to access information before, during or after their trip as the chart below shows. 72% of respondents had access to a smartphone, with only 2% having no access to any of the devices listed.

31% 16%

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Business Travellers are the most likely to use almost all the sites as are pre family tourists.

Instagram and Youtube are particularly popular with International students.

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The Customer Journey

CHOOSING THE DESTINATION Holiday habits and interests: Of the total research sample, 73% said they took at least one holiday (of 4+ nights’ duration) a year; 32% said they took only one such holiday, with 20% taking two.

Three-quarters (75%) of those polled take at least one short break (1 to 3 nights’ duration) per annum – 18% take one night, 23% take two, and 17% take three. Nearly four out of five (79%) respondents make at least one day-trip per annum, with a majority (54%) making five or more a year.

Asked about their preferred vacation activities, eating out (88%) and shopping (81%) were the top options for all visitor types (only in the case of students did “shopping” rank higher than “eating out”). Among singles, friendship groups and students, “nightlife” was ranked third; for couples, families, and family/friendship groups, “countryside walks” filled the no 3 slot.

In the case of Bournemouth specifically, 78% of respondents said the beach/ seaside was “essential” to their visitor experience, 75% enjoyed relaxing over a coffee and watching the world go by, and 60% rated the shopping opportunities. Cultural activities, museums and historic houses attracted only 24% of the votes.

Factors affecting destination choice: Of the total research sample, 90% said “price” was a key factor in choosing a destination, followed by 86% who wanted “activities specific to my interests” and 84% who wanted “a wide variety of activities on offer within the destination”. “A wide variety of activities on offer” was most important (92%) for the families questioned, ahead of “price” (88%).

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ACTIVITIES INTERESTED IN

Having a meal out

88%

Shopping

81%

Nightlife

57%

Countryside walks

52%

Popular music events Historic properties

46% 36%

Visiting museums

31%

Watersports activities

30%

Attending plays

29%

Two out of five respondents (43%) said they themselves had made the final choice of destination, with 21% saying that the decision was made by their spouse/partner. Parents or other family members made the destination choice in 14% of cases, and 9% of respondents said a friend had made the decision.

Only 21% of those questioned considered alternative destinations. Among those on short breaks, only 14% looked elsewhere, and even among 4+-night holidaymakers only 29% considered alternatives.

Most visitor types had narrowed their choice to Dorset with Poole and Weymouth ranked as Bournemouth’s main local competitors. Of those who opted to come to Bournemouth, 48% said their choice was based primarily on the resort’s beach, while 35% came to the town because they had been before.

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PLANNING AND BOOKING Decision timing: In 55% of cases, the decision to visit Bournemouth was made within the week before departure (21% on the day of departure, 34% within two to seven days). Only 14% of visitors made the decision to visit Bournemouth more than 3 months earlier.

Among visitor types, day visitors were most likely to make a snap decision – 41% making the decision on the day of departure and a further 44% within a week before.

In terms of domestic tourists, prefamily tourists were also likely to make a last minute decision – 45% within the last week. Business travellers also tend to be quite short notice decision makers but unsurprisingly 76% of language students had decided more than a month before. Similarly, 45% of family tourists and 47% of empty nester tourists had decided at least a month before.

WHEN DECISION WAS MADE TO VISIT

Same day as visit

21%

Within the week before

34%

2 - 4 weeks before

15%

1 - 2 months before

9%

2 - 3 months before

7%

4 - 6 months before

7%

7 - 11 months before

3%

A year before

2%

Over a year before

2%

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The Customer Journey

Pre-trip information: Prior to their visit to Bournemouth, the most common way (46%) visitors sought additional information was through the internet, either using a desktop/laptop (25%) or a mobile device (21%). Family and pre-family tourists were the most likely to use the internet. Only 16% of all respondents made telephone enquiries and this rose to 22% of empty nester tourists. 12% made email enquiries overall but 29% of pre family, 20% family tourists and 27% of business travellers. Only 11% completed a booking form downloaded from accommodation/tourism providers’ websites.

USED PRIOR TO VISIT TOP 5

Information obtained from the internet using a laptop or desktop computer

25%

There was some variation among visitor types or age brackets. Desktop/laptop internet searches were most prevalent among singles (25%), couples (30%), families (27%) and friendship groups (18%), while desktop/laptop searches and mobile device searches were equally popular for family/friendship groups (17%) and international students (25%).

Information obtained from the internet via your smartphone or tablet

21%

Friendship groups and students were least likely to make telephone enquiries, while singles and families were most likely to make email enquiries.

A phone call to accomodation or transport or actvity provider

16%

An email to accommodation or transport activity provider

12%

A booking form via accommodation or transport or activity provider website

11%

Among age groups, all favoured laptop/ desktop searches (16-34 years 25%, 35-54 years = 33%, 55+ years = 22%), while mobile device searches and telephone enquiries completed the top three information sources in all cases.

Similarly, all age groups listed email enquiries among the five most-used sources; only those in the 16-34 age bracket ranked social network sites among their top 5 -used sources.

Asked whether they had seen any promotional material or advertising about Bournemouth, only 17% of those questioned provided an answer. Most common responses were leaflets, posters and billboards.

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Pre-trip plans: An overwhelming majority (89%) planned to visit Bournemouth’s beaches during their stay, and a further 64% planned to use beachfront facilities.

Seven out of ten planned to go shopping during their visit and two-thirds (66%) intended to patronise cafés and restaurants.

Other planned activities included “nightlife and pubs”, cited by 38% of respondents, visits to the surrounding countryside (24%), visits to paid attractions in the town (21%), cultural events (17%), visitor services such as tourist information centres (14%) and “attractions in the surrounding area” (13%).

All visitor types listed the beach, beach facilities, shops, cafés and restaurants and “nightlife and pubs” as their top five intentions, with couples most likely to intend to go shopping (76%), singles and pre-family tourists most likely to plan to sample the nightlife (51%). Generally domestic tourists were more likely to plan to take part in activities (particularly families) with day visitors less likely.

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The Customer Journey

TRAVELLING Travel tendencies: Nearly three out of five (59%) of visitors to Bournemouth travelled by car. Family tourists (84%) were the heaviest car-users, followed by business travellers (72%) and pre-family tourists (71%). Among empty-nester tourists, while 60% travelled by car, 29% travelled as part of an organised coach trip. A significant 30% of day visitors used public transport along with the vast majority of international students.

Of those who visited Bournemouth by car, 30% travelled 75 miles or more; a further 19% drove between 25 miles and 74 miles.

However, even before they got into their cars, 27% of respondents said advice from family or friends on the best route was important, 46% found Sat Nav and GPS important and 27% an Ipad, Smartphone or Tablet. Only 15% found motoring organisations such as the AA or RAC important for advice, and only 13% used social media or the internet to plan their route.

Pre-family tourists, family tourists and business travellers were much more likely to use Sat Nav/GPS to navigate to the destination. 53% of business travellers and 53% of pre-family tourists said that Ipads, Smartphones and tablets were important in route planning.

First-time visitors to Bournemouth relied even more heavily on friends and family, 43% act on their route-planning advice, compared with 35% who used a mobile device, 31% who contacted a motoring organisation and 33% who used social media or the internet.

Repeat visitors were more confident, with 29% taking advice from friends and family, against 31% who used a mobile device, 16% who consulted a motoring organisation and 12% who used social media or the internet to plan their route.

PLANNING A JOURNEY BY FIRST AND REPEAT VISITORS

43%

Advice from friends and family for route planning

29% 35%

Use of iPad, smartphone or tablet for route planning and travel

31% 31%

Use of route planners such as the AA or RAC

16% 33%

Information from social media or internet sites to plan journey

12%

FIRST TIME 11

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REPEAT

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EXPERIENCING THE RESORT For many visitors, coming to Bournemouth is something they do often with only 23% being on a first visit.

There is some variation by visitor type with 48% of prefamily tourists, 41% of family tourists and 63% of business travellers visiting more than once a year. Empty nester tourists visit less often with 17% on a first visit and 24% visiting every few years. The majority of international students were visiting Bournemouth for the first time.

Among international students, 66% had been staying in Bournemouth for less than one month and 15% for between one and two months, although 14% had been in the resort for more than a year. The majority of courses (55%) were of less than a month’s duration, with 16% lasting for one to two months.

Of all overnight tourists, 51% were staying in a hotel or guest house, 17% were staying with a host family, 13% were staying with friends/family and 5% in self -catering accommodation, which is reflected in the make-up of the accommodation on offer in Bournemouth and the immediate surrounding area.

FREQUENCY OF VISIT

23%

This is my first visit

Every few years

9%

Every few years

10% 35%

More than once a year

I live here

23%

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The Customer Journey

TOP 5 SOURCES OF INFORMATION USED WHILE IN BOURNEMOUTH

28%

24%

Information obtained from the internet via your smartphone or tablet

Information from social network sites such as Facebook and Twitter

25%

24%

Local leaflets and guides

Information from local residents

24% Information via applications on your mobile phone

Activities: In terms of activities, there were some significant differences between visitors’ intentions in relation to in-resort activities and those that they actually undertook.

Among singles, for example, 82% planned to visit the beach, but only 72% actually did so, and 51% intended to sample the nightlife and pubs, but only 43% adhered to the plan. However, while only 72% planned to patronise cafés and restaurants, 81% did; only 71% planned to shop, but 83% did and was the most popular activity.

While only 50% planned to use beach facilities such as cafés and car parks, 68% ended up doing so.

In four of the six visitor types – couples, families, friendship groups, and mixed family/friends group – planned visits to pubs and nightclubs were “overtaken” in the list of the top five intentions by excursions to coast and countryside beyond Bournemouth.

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Sources of Information: While 28% of respondents accessed the internet via mobile devices in their quest for information, 25% used local leaflets and guides, 24% sought information from local residents, and 24% used apps.

Empty nester tourists were the only sector likely to still use local leaflets and guides (52%) and only 15% used their smartphones. Language students, pre family tourists and those on a business trip were much more likely to access information via their smartphones. Language students and business travellers were also most likely to use information from social network sites.

Day Visitors were less likely to use all forms of information than on average.

The most commonly used information sources were the internet, social media sites and apps, but printed leaflets and guides were the main source for couples (33%), families (23%) and family/ friendship groups (22%) and were popular with students (37%). Hard-copy event listings were only cited by a quarter of couples (25%) and less with families (18%).

Of the total sample, very few visitors (12%) used paid-for guides or information at any stage before, during or after their visit

Visitor Satisfaction: Respondents generally rated Bournemouth highly in terms of customer satisfaction with 41% rating their experience “enjoyable” and 52% rating it “very enjoyable”.

Couples and family tourists were the most satisfied of the visitor groups. Among first-time visitors, 49% said their stay was “very enjoyable”, rising to 53% among repeat visitors. Day visitors from home (who by their very nature stay a shorter time) were less likely to rate their visit highly – 47% very enjoyable.

Respondents were asked to score out of 10 their enjoyment of activities undertaken, results of which are shown to the right.

Almost all aspects of the visit were rated more highly by pre-family and family tourists than other groups.

Beach/seaside Cafés / restaurants Access to countryside Beach facilities Shops Nightlife/pubs Visitor services Cultural events Paid for attractions Attractions in surrounding area

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8.8 8.3 8.3 8.2 8.0 7.6 7.6 7.3 6.7 6.5

The Customer Journey

SHARING AND RECOMMENDING Post-trip sharing: There was significant evidence of the use of smartphones and other digital devices while in Bournemouth to share information about their visit as the chart below shows.

UNDERTOOK OR INTENDED TO DO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING

24%

Send a postcard to friends and/or family

66%

Send text messages with photographs taken while on your visit

42%

Send text messages with photographs after your visit

26%

Send / post video clips online of your time here

37%

Send / post video clips online of your time here

20%

‘Check-in’ to local attractions using social network sites

(66%) of respondents sent or intended to send text messages and photographs while in Bournemouth, with 42% stating they sent or intended to send post-trip text messages and photographs. Business visitors (80%), pre-family tourists (73%) and international students (75%) were the most likely to send text messages with photographs followed by leisure day visitors at 63%. More than one-third (37%) said they had posted or would post comments about their visit on social network sites, and 26% had shared, or planned to share, video clips of their time in the resort. Again pre-family tourists were the most likely to post video clips or comments on social network sites.

Nearly a quarter (24%) had sent or intended to send postcards with empty nester tourists (56%) and international students (44%) the most likely groups to do so.

Roughly one in ten respondents (9%) said they had collected, or intended to collect, leaflets and other information to share with others at a later date; that figure more than doubled to 19% among over-55s.

Finally, respondents were asked whether they agreed they would recommend Bournemouth to friends and relatives. Nine out of ten visitors either “agreed” (22%) or “strongly agreed” (68%). In all, 97% of staying families – and 93% of day visitors either “agreed” or “strongly agreed” they would recommend the Bournemouth experience to others.

Overall, only 2% of respondents said they would not recommend the experience, with 8% remaining ambivalent.

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CONCLUSIONS THAT MAY BE RELEVANT FOR OTHER DESTINATIONS The following key findings from the research are less resort specific and likely to be relevant for coastal destinations across the country.

Choosing the Destination The research indicates that personal recommendation is still a key driver of decisions taken pre-trip, 82% of all respondents said that “recommendations from friends and family” were important when choosing a destination. However recommendations may well come via social media sites or mobile communications, not necessarily face-to-face.

72% of those interviewed had access to a smartphone – only 2% had no access to any form of digital communication. 76% used Facebook but reduced to a third of empty nester tourists.

Price and a wide variety of activities were the most important factors when deciding which destination to visit and only 21% considered other destinations.

Planning and Booking Timing of the decision tends to be quite last minute with 76% making the decision either on the day or within a week before. This suggests that tactical marketing efforts might have a greater impact than strategic promotional campaigns.

The internet is by the far the most common way visitors sought additional information whether by desktop, laptop or mobile. Five out of the top six information sources used were online and printed material was only considered by 17%.

Travelling For those travelling by car (nearly 60%) sat nav and GPS were the most commonly used route information with 46% considering this important. 27% of the sample used Ipad, Smartphones or tablets.

Experiencing the Resort There was noticeable variation between intending to visit and actually taking part in activities at resort.

The most popular activities in Bournemouth were visiting the beach, shopping and going to cafés and restaurants. .

In resort, although 25% used local leaflets and guides, accessing the internet via tablet or smart phone, social media and apps were collectively much more significant. , Sharing and Recommending Two thirds of visitors intended to send text messages and photos while away and 42% planned to do so on returning. 37% planned to post comments on social media sites and 26% planned to share video clips.

Review sites such as TripAdvisor appear to have a limited following – only 7% of all respondents said they had posted, or intended to post, comments.

Only 24% intended to send the traditional postcard and these were most likely to be empty nester tourists or international students.

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