The vacation mindset is a spending mindset. New research from United Airlines’ Kinective Media and Marriott Media reveals that the vast majority of travelers make purchases they never planned on while in transit or at their destination, opening up opportunities for brands willing to meet consumers where their wallets are already open.
The study found that 85% of travelers make unplanned purchases during their journeys, with 89% buying clothes and 75% picking up health and wellness products before they even leave home. The pair of companies think that represents a shift in consumer psychology that savvy marketers can tap into across the entire travel experience.
“They’re just in a very different mindset than their average day-to-day,” said Aaron Gallagher, managing director and head of sales at Kinective Media by United Airlines, in this video interview with Beet.TV. “It’s incredibly valuable to be able to reach this consumer throughout the entire travel journey when they’re in this mindset of attention and focus.”
Five hours of planning, three hours of flying
The numbers paint a picture of extended engagement windows that dwarf typical digital advertising interactions. United’s data shows travelers spend approximately five hours planning a trip, followed by 90 minutes to two hours in airport lounges, and an average flight time of three and a half hours. That’s a lot of captive attention.
Kinective Media claims 300 million hours of annual passenger time with inflight screens alone. Compare that to the fraction of a second most digital ads receive. The challenge lies in crafting messages that resonate with someone mentally preparing for a beach vacation rather than scrolling through their morning commute.
“It’s the perfect opportunity to market to that consumer with relevant messaging that either relates to their trip or even it’s just a huge brand building opportunity for all different kinds of brands,” Gallagher said.
Resort wear and the non-endemic opportunity
The research suggests travel media isn’t just for hotels and rental cars. Retail brands are finding success by aligning their campaigns with the traveler’s preparation phase, when consumers are actively thinking about what they’ll need at their destination.
Gallagher pointed to a campaign with Anthropologie as an example of how non-endemic brands can capitalize on travel intent. The retailer wanted to promote a new resort wear line and timed its campaign to coincide with peak winter travel season, reaching consumers across United’s digital properties, inflight entertainment, and airport touchpoints.
“Being able to reach the traveler during peak winter travel season when people are going to vacation destinations to beaches, it was just a really great opportunity for them to brand and market to the consumer during that time across all platforms,” Gallagher said. “They really were pleased with the results.”
Creative should follow the journey
Static creative won’t cut it across such varied touchpoints. Gallagher argued that brands should tailor their messaging to match where consumers are in their travel journey—the excitement of planning, the anticipation of transit, and the post-trip glow when they’re already thinking about their next getaway.
The travel advertising sector continues to grow. According to eMarketer, U.S. digital travel sales are projected to surpass $350 billion by 2027, with travel industry digital ad spending expected to reach $8.77 billion by 2025.
“Being able to capitalize and really lean on us to dive deeper into the mindset of the traveler throughout the entire journey” is key, Gallagher said. “You may want to look at how you optimize the creative based on the mindset of the consumer in their different parts of the journey.”
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