Online trends among restaurant, hotel, pub & bar professionals BigHospitality Online Trends Survey 2012 Page 1 2012 | BigHospitality.co.uk
Executive Summary Online trends among restaurant, hotel, pub & bar professionals
In January 2012, BigHospitality conducted a survey of its user base of restaurant, hotel, pub & bar professionals. The objective of the BigHospitality Online Trends Survey was to determine online usage trends among BigHospitality readers. The survey was taken by 251 hospitality professionals based in the UK. Highlights from the survey results include: 71.7% use the Internet for more than six hours per week for work purposes 85% use the Internet to find products, equipment, services and suppliers for their business 84.3% have visited an advertisers website as a result of viewing online advertisements when browsing online for work 83.9% have downloaded information for use or future reference when visiting websites for work 50.2% access the Internet via mobile devices every day for work purposes 62.2% read their work emails every day via mobile devices 89% use the Internet to promote their businesses 83.8% use social networks to market their business
Recommendations Online activities hospitality professionals cant afford to ignore anymore
An industry that has embraced the fast changing online world As diners and guests at restaurants, hotels and pubs and bars increasingly use the Internet to make reservations, compare prices and read reviews, professionals in the hospitality industry have been forced to move online quickly to market their businesses. As a result 89% use the Internet to promote their own businesses and 85% now use the Internet to find products, equipment, services and suppliers for their own business.
Stay ahead by building a strong online presence Hospitality professionals use multiple online resources to search for information, products and suppliers, with over 73% visiting five or more work-related websites per week.
Because of this, suppliers cannot afford not to have a strong online presence anymore. Our survey shows that when researching a potential work-related purchase, the top four resources in order of priority are: search engines, word of mouth, industry trade publications websites and of course suppliers websites; the dominant role of the Internet is clear.
Thankfully there are simple steps to start businesses on their road to online success. On top of a robust website you need to ensure good rankings in search engines, use industry websites providing you with lead generation tools, harness the power of email marketing and promote your brand via banner advertising; the role of advertising remaining very clear, with 84.3% visiting an advertisers website as a result of viewing online advertisements.
To reap the benefits of these developing trends, advertisers need to embrace the online habits of their clients and prospects to develop a broad marketing mix that encompasses search marketing, banners, social media and lead generation.
Keep your eye on social media Nowadays, the majority of hospitality professionals know the importance of social networks: 83.8% use them to promote their own business with 63.8% using Facebook and 57% Twitter as a way to boost trade and communicate directly with customers.
These social media tools are free, help to build a community around your brand and allow you to promote your business in an environment where competitive offers and good feedback are shared readily between users. The sometimes negative effects of online review sites have been well publicised in recent months, actively embracing social media allows you to build meaningful relationship with customers and resolve complaints before customers feel obliged to publicise their problems.
The mobile revolution Our survey found that more than half (50.2%) of hospitality professionals access the Internet on a daily basis for work on their mobiles or smartphones. Also, 62.2% read their work email every day via a mobile device. This highlights that whether researching products on their desktop computer, or keeping in touch while on the move, hospitality professionals are always connected to the web.
41.0% 18.7% 16.7% 13.9% 8.8% 0.8% 0.0% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% More than 12 hours 3 - 5 hours 9 - 12 hours 6 - 8 hours 1 - 2 hours None Less than 1 hour How much time per week do you spend on the Internet for work purposes 57.7% of respondents spend nine hours or more on the Internet per week for work purposes. BigHospitality Online Trends Survey 2012 Page 5 2012 | BigHospitality.co.uk
50.2% 21.9% 12.0% 8.4% 7.6% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% Everyday Never 2 - 3 times per week 4 or more Once a week How often per week do you access the Internet with a smartphone or a tablet (iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Android) for work purposes 50.2% access the Internet everyday with a smartphone or a tablet for work purposes. BigHospitality Online Trends Survey 2012 Page 6 2012 | BigHospitality.co.uk
62.2% 23.9% 5.6% 5.2% 3.2% 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% Everyday Never 4 or more 2 - 3 times per week Once a week How often per week do you check your emails with a smartphone or a tablet (iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry, Android) for work purposes 62.2% check their work emails everyday with a smartphone or a tablet. BigHospitality Online Trends Survey 2012 Page 7 2012 | BigHospitality.co.uk
32% 38% 39% 40% 42% 46% 53% 56% 57% 61% 66% 76% 84% 85% 90% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Find standards Request samples Career research/job search Peer reviews of products/suppliers Training/workshops/tutorials/seminars Find product availability information Request price quote Compare products across suppliers Business advice Purchase products Find pricing information Obtain product information Research Find products, equipment, services and suppliers News and trends For which of the following have you used the Internet for your work purposes News and trends leads the way with 90% of respondents having used the Internet to stay up-to-date with industry developments, closely followed by the 85% who have used online to find products, equipment, services and suppliers.
43.0% 30.7% 20.7% 5.2% 0.4% 0.0% 0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0% 50.0% More 5 - 10 3 - 4 2 1 None How many different work-related websites do you generally visit in a week 73.7% visit five or more work-related websites in a week. BigHospitality Online Trends Survey 2012 Page 9 2012 | BigHospitality.co.uk
2.1 2.7 3.0 3.1 3.3 3.5 3.6 3.8 3.8 3.9 4.4 0.0 0.5 1.0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.0 4.5 5.0 Blogs Networking sites (Facebook - LinkedIn - Twitter) Print catalogues Supplier sales representatives Industry conferences / trade shows / in person seminars Industry trade publications - Print BigHospitality Supplier websites Industry trade publications - Websites Word of mouth / peer / colleagues General search engines (Google - Yahoo! - Bing) When researching a potential work-related purchase, how valuable do you find each of the following resources ( 1= not at all valuable, 5= very valuable) Four of the top five most valuable resources when researching a work-based purchase are based online, with search engines deemed to be the most valuable by our respondents. Word of mouth and print editions of industry trade publications are considered to be the most important offline resources. BigHospitality Online Trends Survey 2012 Page 10 2012 | BigHospitality.co.uk
11.1% 88.9% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% No Yes Do you use the Internet to promote your own business 20% 80% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% Yes No Do you use online voucher schemes to promote your business 88.9% of respondents use the Internet to promote their own business. 80% of respondents use online voucher schemes to promote their own business. BigHospitality Online Trends Survey 2012 Page 11 2012 | BigHospitality.co.uk
8.1% 16.2% 17.0% 17.4% 18.7% 43.4% 57.0% 63.8% 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% 60.0% 70.0% Other None Google+ YouTube Blogging LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Which social networks do you use to promote your business 83.8% of respondents use social networks to promote their business; Facebook proved the most popular with 63.8% utilising it. BigHospitality Online Trends Survey 2012 Page 12 2012 | BigHospitality.co.uk
6.8% 11.1% 15.7% 23.8% 34.5% 35.7% 36.2% 43.4% 0.0% 5.0% 10.0% 15.0% 20.0% 25.0% 30.0% 35.0% 40.0% 45.0% 50.0% Other Blogging YouTube Google+ None Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Which social networks do you use to find information about your industry or product information 65.5% of respondents use social networks to find information about products and the industry in general; LinkedIn leads the way with 43.4% utilising it. BigHospitality Online Trends Survey 2012 Page 13 2012 | BigHospitality.co.uk
27% 23% 23% 17% 10% 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% Everyday Never 2-3 times per week Once a week 4 or more How often per week do you use social networks for work purposes 60% use social networks for work purposes at least two times a week with 27% of respondents logging on everyday. BigHospitality Online Trends Survey 2012 Page 14 2012 | BigHospitality.co.uk
30.0% 50.9% 59.6% 62.2% 83.9% 83.9% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100% Downloaded a white paper Ordered samples Passed commercial information on to a colleague Purchased product online Contacted a supplier Downloaded information for use or future reference As a result of visiting a website for work purposes, have you taken any of these actions 83.9% of respondents have both downloaded information for future use/reference and contacted a supplier having visited a website for work purposes. BigHospitality Online Trends Survey 2012 Page 15 2012 | BigHospitality.co.uk
8.7% 36.1% 38.7% 44.3% 45.2% 55.2% 84.3% 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%100% None Called the advertiser Bookmarked the advertisers site for future reference Purchased product from their website Forwarded the advertisers website to a colleague E-mailed the advertiser Visited advertisers website As a result of seeing an advertisement online, have you taken any of these actions? 84.3% of respondents have visited an advertisers website having seen an advertisement online. BigHospitality Online Trends Survey 2012 Page 16 2012 | BigHospitality.co.uk
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