June 13, 2022

Tourist Decision Making: An Analysis

by Prababh Kale

Abstract

The primary objective of this exploratory research study was to enhance our comprehension of consumer preferences, with the ultimate goal of devising more effective marketing strategies for wineries. Specifically, this study aimed to delve into the trip planning behaviors of tasting room visitors and the impact of contemporary technology on their trip planning choices. The study encompassed 529 participants, all of whom had visited a winery tasting room at one of the 20 collaborating wineries during the period spanning July 2015 to September 2015.

To gather pertinent information, the participants were requested to complete an online survey instrument, which featured sections focused on technology usage and behaviors, trip particulars, wine consumption habits, spending patterns, and demographic details. Data collection for this study was carried out during the months of August and September 2015.

Introduction

Data analysis has unveiled the following insights into participants’ pre-travel trip planning behavior, encompassing activities related to trip research, booking, and reservations, along with the devices employed for information retrieval:

1. Smartphones are employed nearly as frequently as desktop or laptop computers for conducting research, making bookings, and securing reservations for trips to wine regions and wineries.

Managerial Implications and Recommendations:

The realm of mobile technology encompasses a diverse range of devices that individuals rely on for their daily activities. Notably, mobile technology plays a pivotal role in travel planning, facilitating research and booking processes. The once-dominant role of desktop and laptop computers in trip planning has experienced a shift as the use of smartphones in this context continues to rise (Wang et al., 2014). This trend can be attributed to the ubiquity and portability of mobile technology, as well as the extensive features and functionalities supported by context-aware systems (Gavalas and Kenteris, 2011).

Wang et al. (2014) identified that respondents often planned their trips during work breaks and utilized mobile apps during lunchtime to shop for and purchase flight tickets. Moreover, respondents employed smartphones prior to their trips for monitoring flight prices, searching for destination deals, and making accommodation plans.

In light of these findings, it is highly recommended that winery owners establish an online presence through a website if they haven’t already done so. More importantly, winery owners should ensure that their websites are optimized for mobile devices to ensure that content and images are displayed correctly on handheld devices like smartphones, iPhones, iPads, and tablets. This mobile-friendly approach will cater to the preferences and behaviors of travelers who increasingly rely on mobile technology for their trip planning needs.

Also, adapting website content to a mobile-friendly layout allows the webpage to load faster and will make written content easier to read.  This requires basic content such as address, phone number, and hours of operation.  This information should be easily accessible when viewing the webpage, and services offered or upcoming events should be up to date.  Including pictures of the winery so visitors can gain perspective on the winery’s layout and atmosphere can also be beneficial in aiding travelers during their trip planning stage.

1. Over half of all travelers are using short planning horizons of a week or less and are primarily using online compatible devices to research their trip.

Managerial implications and recommendations

With the increase of and accessibility to online planning tools, the length of trip planning may become shorter. Travel decisions can be made while en route and booking cycles will become increasingly shorter (Gretzel et al., 2006.  Winery owners can take advantage of this short planning timeframe by sending “last-minute trips” or “weekend getaway” email blasts, posting information on their social media websites, and posting on local visitor bureau’s websites.  If possible, winery owners should take advantage of last minute couponing deal websites such as Groupon.

A considerably large percentage of respondents from this study took day trips to the wine region (62%) compared to those who spent at least one night in the wine region.  However more than half of both daytrip travelers and overnight travelers spent a week or less planning their trip to the wine region. Additionally, overnight travelers that made last minute plans (one day), still spent a considerable amount of money during their trip.  Over half of overnight travelers who planned their trip in less than one day used commercial lodging, for example.

Managerial implications and recommendations

The above finding indicates that although travelers are taking less time to plan their trip, they are continuing to spend significant sums of money on products and services at the winery and at other nearby businesses.  Over half of visitors are spending nights away from home and making last minute lodging reservations.  

Because of this, it is recommended that winery owners collaborate with local hotels and/ or bed and breakfast lodging as well as restaurants to offer packaged deals to potential travelers.  Collaborative marketing campaigns should incorporate recommended places to stay and eat in the area and announce any possible package discounts via email blasts.  Additionally, they should encourage lodging and restaurant partners to advertise both online and onsite about the winery and any special events or services offered at the tasting room.

During-trip planning phase

The analysis of the data revealed the following findings about participants’ planning behavior during their trips, including travel to and from their destinations.  This section includes information on the devices used for navigation during the trip, as well as interaction with social networking websites.

• GPS and smartphone with GPS apps are the most important device used to navigate during a trip. And, smartphones are the most used device during a trip.

Managerial implications and recommendations

Roughly 66.3 million people rely on smartphones for maps/ GPS navigation in the United States (Statista, 2016).  In this study, over half (54.3%) of respondents relied on GPS or smartphone GPS apps for navigation.  This usage includes local travel to and from the primary residence as well as for travelling throughout the tourism destination.  It is extremely important that 4G mobile connection be made available to travelers navigating to a winery.  If 4G is not available, the winery owner or wine associations work with local government to request that cell phone providers offer access in the area.  The overall trip spending of tasting room visitors ($441 per spending unit) can be used to support efforts to convince policy makers to prioritize this investment.  If 4G is not accessible, a short term recommendation would be to have appropriate signage clearly labelled with directions to the winery.  In this study, respondents indicated that road signs and/ or billboards were the second most used source (26.0%) for navigation.  

Additionally, it is recommended that wineries ensure the accuracy of their listings on the major map systems used by GPS providers (e.g., Apple maps and Google maps) and provide as much information (address, phone, hours of operation) as possible.  These services are free and highly recommended, as many travelers use mapping services, which are typically provided on smartphones to navigate.

• Almost half of all travelers post to a social network site from a mobile device about their trip and winery visit.

Managerial implications and recommendations

Study results indicate that 48.5% of respondents posted to a social networking website about their trip.  Posting to social network websites such as Facebook is a part of many peoples’ travel experience.  This is in part because tourists are able to instantly share travel experiences with their social networks via mobile social media (Wang, Park, & Fesenmaier, 2012).  These posts and pictures can be considered free marketing for wineries.  To help facilitate the number of their visitors’ posts, it is highly recommended that wineries offer a free and easy to use dedicated Wi-Fi network to their visitors to allow them to post directly about their experience onsite at the winery.  Since most tasting rooms are small in size, the cost to winery owners will be minimal for maintaining high speed internet for guests.  Creating an interesting and dedicated area or areas just for photo opportunities available onsite can be another way wineries can increase the number of posts.  Creating hashtags (example: #wineryname) can further increase online visibility. Additionally, it is recommended that wineries ensure the accuracy of their listings on the major map systems used by GPS providers, update their websites to be mobile friendly, and make sure that 4G service is available in the area. 

As previously stated, twenty wineries participated in this study. Figure 4 illustrates the online services currently offered at the participating winery partners’ tasting rooms.  The figure offers some evidence that not all wineries are taking advantage of offering these online services to their visitors. Only four of the wineries offer free Wi-Fi that does not require a password.  4G service is only available at some locations.  Roughly half of the participating wineries have created mobile friendly versions of their websites, but only in the last three years.  Most of the participating wineries are listed on Google maps, Apple maps, or Navteq Here maps but not all. 

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