No Reservations? No Problem – Competitive Report Reveals Which Last-Minute Hotel App Ranks #1

by Jennifer Knodler

It’s been a few years now, but I recall distinctly when the transition to mobile in the travel industry happened. I was in the midst of traveling often for business and I said to Sidra Michon, Product Usability Manager at KAYAK, that I felt like I needed to sort hotels by “Free access to print your boarding pass”. She chuckled at how real my problem was. A few months later, Brian Sullivan, then at Sabre, suggested to me that I wouldn’t need anything but my phone (my shiny new iPhone, that was) in the coming months.

Then, it was a domino effect. I could book my flight, complete a purchase for my luggage, use my phone as a boarding pass, book a hotel, check in, aggregate my travel itinerary, order takeout to my hotel room, hail a cab, use Wi-Fi on the flight and in the airport, map my route, even if walking in NYC. I could dictate emails while in transit, listen to webinars via conferencing software, check the CRM system for updates, get notified about travel changes and delays. The single most powerful tool that I had available was my smartphone. I didn’t need a wallet, a computer or a pen.

Today’s travelers are exactly as Moxie describes: “Tethered, Tolerant and Talking vs. Mobile, Multitasking and Messaging”. They need to be reached in different ways. Dana Bishop, primary report analyst and Director of Quantitative Research, was awed by the mad scramble of traditional travel companies to throw their hat in the “last minute arena”, as she puts it. It seemed that this Mobile, Multitasking and Messaging culture wants instant, satisfying and simple, too.

As a result, the Competitive Report Division of KLI, run by Bishop, recently announced a new report in our Competitive Index portfolio that focuses on overall functionality and experiences offered by today’s last minute hotel booking apps. Titled Last-Minute Hotel Booking Mobile Competitive Index Report, KLI reviews sixteen (16) apps including those designed specifically for booking last-minute travel as well as the top OTAs in the U.S.

This is more than an industry standard travel technology survey. KLI asks users traditional questions about their current behavior to understand trends, but they push to learn about the innovation that consumers are buzzing about, what they expect to see next, what barriers to a perfect experience exist.

“With many players in direct competition to secure a place to rest your head while traveling, the indecision about which booking agent or OTA to use can be paralyzing to the user.” says Phillip McGuinness, report contributor. “As with all of our reports, we survey the target audience to see what they need and want in terms of features and capabilities first. Then, we take those desires into consideration when comparing and ranking the apps, giving more weight to consumer’s top priorities.”

Apps in this assessment include: Airbnb, BookingNow, Expedia, Hipmunk, HotelPlanner.com, Hotels.com, HotelTonight, Hotwire, Jetsetter, Last Minute Travel Deals, Orbitz, Priceline, Room 77, Stayful, Travelocity and TripAdvisor.

The review examines their iPhone and Android apps (where applicable) and ultimately ranks the apps, awarding top rank to those who most effectively meet the consumer’s self-defined need.

Buyers receive a detailed report that identifies the survey results and the associated ranking of the 16 apps. They also benefit from detailed best-in-class features including screen prints and expert analysis. Opportunities for improvement are discussed as well as a new trends and innovation section where new concepts such as the use of an app to open hotel room doors or a mobile chat feature to communicate with hotel staff are highlighted.

“Differentiation such as the ability to set style preferences, access customer reviews, set filters, as well as view saved search history and favorites become apparent. Better, the impact that these features have on the user experience or the ability to meet user preferences is identified.” states Bishop. “Organizations crave both a way keep pace with what consumers want as they build their roadmap while also tracking and scoring themselves against the competition; to have a baseline that they want to beat as they continue to evolve. This offers them just that.”

Read the full press release here.
To purchase the published report, please reach out to Key Lime Interactive for more information here.

PRESS RELEASE: Competitive Report Reveals Which Last-Minute Hotel App Ranks #1

No Reservations? No problem – Competitive Report Reveals Which Last-Minute Hotel App Ranks #1
Key Lime Interactive has expanded their Competitive Report portfolio with a new Competitive Index report for last-minute hotel apps. The report identifies which of sixteen travel industry booking agents and OTA’s best meets consumers self-defined needs.
 

Miami, FL – Key Lime Interactive’s (KLI) Competitive Research division has investigated the overall functionality and experiences offered by today’s last minute hotel booking apps. In an upcoming competitive report titled Last-Minute Hotel Booking Mobile Competitive Index Report, KLI reviews sixteen (16) apps including those designed specifically for booking last-minute travel as well as the top OTAs in the U.S.

This is more than an industry standard travel technology survey. KLI asks users traditional questions about their current behavior to understand trends, but they also push to learn about the innovation that consumers are buzzing about, what they expect to see next, and what barriers to a perfect experience exist. 

Key Lime Interactive recognizes the importance of aligning business-centric goals with consumer-centric needs to produce winning solutions and makes this a core component to all deliverables. This incorporation of user feedback is a primary component for this and all studies across various industries ranging from finance, retail, hospitality, etc. This time, consumers also rank existing features on these last-minute apps and new developments, which takes a pulse of the market. 

“With many players in direct competition to secure a place to rest your head while traveling, the indecision about which booking agent or OTA to use can be paralyzing to the user.” says Phillip McGuinness, report contributor. “As with all of our reports, we survey the target audience to see what they need and want in terms of features and capabilities first. Then, we take those desires into consideration when comparing and ranking the apps, giving more weight to consumers top priorities.”

Apps in this assessment include: Airbnb, BookingNow, Expedia, Hipmunk, HotelPlanner.com, Hotels.com, HotelTonight, Hotwire, Jetsetter, Last Minute Travel Deals, Orbitz, Priceline, Room 77, Stayful, Travelocity and TripAdvisor.

The review examines their iPhone and Android apps (where applicable) and ultimately ranks the apps, awarding top rank to those who most effectively meet the consumer’s self-defined need. 

Buyers receive a detailed report that identifies the survey results and the associated ranking of the 16 apps. They also benefit from detailed best-in-class features including screen prints and expert analysis. Opportunities for improvement are discussed as well as a new trends and innovation section where new concepts such as the use of an app to open hotel room doors or a mobile chat feature to communicate with hotel staff are highlighted.

“Differentiation such as the ability to set style preferences, access customer reviews, set filters, as well as view saved search history and favorites become apparent. Better, the impact that these features have on the user experience or the ability to meet user preferences is identified.” states Dana Bishop, primary report analyst and Director of Quantitative Research. “Organizations crave a way keep pace with what consumers want as they build their roadmap while also tracking and scoring themselves against the competition; to have a baseline that they want to beat as they continue to evolve. This offers them just that.” 

To purchase the published report, please reach out to Key Lime Interactive for more information at sales(at)keylimeinteractive(dot)com

Researchers, Designers, Executives, Journalists and Bloggers in the Hotel, Travel and Leisure Industry are encouraged to contact Key Lime Interactive with any additional questions.

About Key Lime Interactive

Key Lime Interactive is an user experience research firm with proven excellence in both quantitative and qualitative user and consumer testing. To serve our growing client list of Fortune 100 companies, we conduct competitive research, true intent / voice of customer studies, and prototype studies using quantitative methods. Additionally, we’re experienced in moderating one-on-one interviews/ usability studies, focus groups, and eye-tracking studies for both the traditional and mobile web. Currently, Key Lime is working to help top brands better understand their customer via behavioral personas and customer journey mapping. Ultimately, our goal is to empower teams to use consumer/user experience data at any and all phases of product development; from strategy to implementation. We aim to provide the true perspective of target users and build exceptional consumer-driven solutions.

PRESS RELEASE: Enterprising Women Magazine Announces 2015 Enterprising Women of the Year Award Winners

Enterprising Women Magazine Announces
2015 Enterprising Women of The Year Award Winners
Prestigious Awards Program Recognizes World’s Top Women Entrepreneurs
 
RALEIGH, N.C. Feb. 9, 2015 – MonicaSmiley, publisher and CEO of Enterprising Women magazine, has announced the winners of the 2015 Enterprising Women of the Year Awards, an annual tribute to the world’s top women entrepreneurs. Honorees will be recognized at the 13th Annual Enterprising Women of the Year Awards & Conference, Sunday, March 29 to Tuesday, March 31 at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa in Lake Buena Vista, Florida.
 
The annual Enterprising Women of the Year Awards is widely considered one of the most prestigious recognition programs for women business owners. To win, nominees must demonstrate that they have fast-growth businesses, mentor or actively support other women and girls involved in entrepreneurship, and stand out as leaders in their communities. Many of the honorees also serve as leaders of the key organizations that support the growth of women’s entrepreneurship.
 
Award winners were recognized in seven categories this year: annual sales revenues of more than $100 million; annual sales revenues of more than $25 million and up to $100 million; annual sales revenues of more than $10 million and up to $25 million; annual sales revenues of more than $5 million and up to $10 million; annual sales revenues of more than $2 million and up to $5 million; annual sales revenues of more than $1 million and up to $2 million; and annual sales revenues of up to $1 million.
 
Winners in the “over $100 million in annual revenues” category:

  • Kay Ivie, Ivie & Associates, Inc., Flower Mound, TX
  • Beatriz Manetta, Argent Associates, Inc., Plano, TX
  • Jennifer Maier, WDS, Inc., Lake Wylie, S.C.
  • Julia Fournier, HCMWorks, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
  • Veronica Muzquiz Edwards, InGenesis, Inc., San Antonio, TX
  • Camille Thomas, JMC Retail Group, Minneapolis, Minn.

 
Winners in the “over $25 million and up to $100 Million in annual revenues” category:

  • Raegan Moya-Jones, Aden & Anais, Inc, Brooklyn, N.Y.
  • Traci Lounsbury, ELEMENTS, Denver, Colo.
  • Lisa Sackuvich, ARJ Infusion Services, Lenexa, Kan.
  • Diane Medley, MCM LLP, Louisville, Ky.
  • Noreen King, Evolve Manufacturing Technologies, Inc., Mountain View, Calif.
  • Carol Hackbarth, Hackbarth Delivery Service, Mobile, Ala.
  • Mary K. Davenport, TransTech IT Staffing, Itasca, Ill.
  • Marygrace Sexton, Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company, Fort Pierce, Fla.
  • Jennifer Jeansonne, Eagle Consulting, LLC, Belle Chasse, La.

 
Winners in the “over $10 million and up to $25 Million in annual revenues” category:

  • Britnie Turner, Aerial Development Group, Nashville, Tenn.
  • Tammy Cohen, InfoMart, Inc., Marietta, Ga.
  • Marie Seipenko, Preferred Solutions, Northville, Mich.
  • Patty Comer, AccruePartners, Charlotte, N.C.
  • Sylvana Coche, Gravity Pro Consulting, LLC, San Clemente, Calif.
  • Fiona Gathright, Wellness Corporate Solutions, LLC, Bethesda, Md.
  • Paula Lombard, WEXCO Industries, Pine Brook, N.J.
  • Hetal Parikh, Rangam Consultants Inc., Somerset, N.J.
  • Olga Smirnova, Global Language Solutions, Irvine, Calif.
  • Barbara Issett, IQ Business Events, Inc., Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
  • Sheila Benson, Employment Screening Services, Birmingham, Ala.
  • Lauren Herring, IMPACT Group, St. Louis, Mo.
  • Joy E. Taylor, TayganPoint Consulting Group, LLC, Lambertville, N.J.
  • Deborah C. Weaver, Midwest Litigation Services, St. Louis, Mo.
  • Claudia Mirza, Elahi Enterprises, Inc., dba, Akorbi, Plano, TX
  • Marilyn Grabowski, AtlanticInfra, Wall, N.J.
  • Mary Miller, JANCOA Janitorial Services, Inc., Cincinnati, OH
  • Angela Lee, The Happy Point Resto Group, Chicago, Ill.
  • Diana Harbour, The Red Dress Boutique, Athens, Ga.
  • Natalie McDonald, Create NYC, New York, N.Y.

 
Winners in the “over $5 million and up to $10 Million in annual revenues” category:

  • Jean Thompson, Seattle Chocolate Company, Seattle, Wash.
  • Carol Fitzgerald, Buzzback LLC, New York, N.Y.
  • Mandy Gilbert, Creative Niche Inc., Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Tabatha Turman, Integrated Finance & Accounting Solutions, LLC, Woodbridge, Va.
  • Billie Bryant Schultz, CESCO, Inc., Dallas, TX
  • Carolyn Williams Francis, Williams Interior Designs, Inc., Columbus, OH
  • Victoria L. Vasques, Tribal Tech, LLC, Alexandria, Va.
  • Brooke Partridge, Vital Wave, Palo Alto, Calif.
  • Lisa Rosenthal, The Mayvin Consulting Group, Inc., Alexandria, Va.
  • Carla Percy, The Mayvin Consulting Group, Inc., Alexandria, Va.
  • Teresa Sherald, Diversity Search Group, Columbus, OH
  • Stacy D. Phillips, Phillips Lerner, A Law Coroporation, Los Angeles, Calif.
  • Susan Gilbert, APOGEE Interactive, Inc., Tucker, Ga.
  • Ellen Dickson, Bailey Edward Design, Inc., Chicago, Ill.
  • Sue Bennett, Bennett Design Associates, Inc., Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada
  • Mashell Carissimi, JMC Electrical Contractor, LLC, Saint Clair Shores, Mich.

    
Winners in the “over $2 million and up to $5 million in annual revenues” category:

  • CJ Stafford, Stafford Communications Group, Inc., New Providence, N.J.
  • Jennah Purk, CPA, MST, Purk & Associates, P.C., St. Louis, Mo.
  • Eugenia Rangel Vera, Tabiques y Acabados de Ceramica SA de C.V., Juarez, Mexico
  • Crystal Arlington, Affiliated Grounds Maintenance Group, Inc., Erie, Pa.
  • Melissa Lackey, Standing Partnership, St. Louis, Mo.
  • Heidi Krupp, Krupp Communications, New York, N.Y.
  • Melanie Querry, Beyond Spots & Dots, Pittsburgh, Pa.
  • Ania Rodriguez, Key Lime Interactive, Doral, Fla.
  • Emily Merson, Global Experiences, Annapolis, Md.
  • Kathy Palokoff, Firestarter, Baltimore, Md.
  • Dorothy Botsi-Tulare, Botho Ubuntu Cleaning, Johannesburg, South Africa
  • Delois Babiker, Intellectual Concepts, LLC, Atlanta, Ga.
  • Reginalea Sturns-Kemp, Kemp & Sons General Services, Fort Worth, TX
  • Gabriela Leon Gutierrez, Gresmex, Naucalpan City, Mexico
  • Tanya Little, Hart Advisors Group, LLC, Dallas, TX
  • Jane Sydlowski, AMI Strategies, Livonia, Mich.
  • Ann K. Luciani, First Capital Engineering, York, Pa.

 
Winners in the “over $1 million and up to $2 million in annual revenues” category:

  • Linda A. Fanaras, Millennium Integrated Marketing, Manchester, N.H.
  • Adie Horowitz, Licenders, New York, N.Y.
  • Debbie Oberbillig, Allen Partners, Inc., Seattle, Wash.
  • Melinda Maine Garvey, AW Media, Austin, TX
  • Susan L. Dawson, Waltz, Palmer & Dawson, LLC, Rolling Meadows, Ill.
  • Charmane H. Sellers, ALEON Properties, Inc., Austin, TX
  • Diana Peters, Symbol Training Institute, Skokie, Ill.
  • Francine Friedman Griesing, Griesing Law, LLC, Philadelphia, Pa.
  • Dr. Angela Marshall, Comprehensive Women’s Health, Inc., Silver Spring, Md.
  • Moira Vetter, Modo Modo Agency, Atlanta, Ga.

 
Winners in the “up to $1 million in annual revenues” category:

  • Rashi Bajaj, Carpet Couture by Rashi, New Delhi, India
  • Marla Rausch, Animation Vertigo, Irvine, Calif.
  • Latoya Bullard-Franklin, The Bulsard Group, LLC, Houston, TX
  • Deborah K. Delaney, Touching Lives Adult Day Services, Savage, Minn.
  • Kathy Kamei, Kathy Kamei Designs, Kentfield, Calif.
  • Tena Z. Payne, Earthborn Studios, Inc., Leeds, Ala.
  • Maria Teresa Cepeda Casasus, Imaging Supplies de Mexico SA, Mexico City, Mexico
  • Jeri J. Brooks, One World Strategy Group, LLC, Houston, TX
  • Dr. Marlene N. Mahipat, Mediquest, LLC, Randallstown, Md.
  • Kelly Ehlers, Evoke Brands, Inc., Madison, Wis.
  • Dana Marlowe, Accessibility Partners, Silver Spring, Md.
  • Elaine Gordon, Gordon ADR, LLC, Westbrook, Conn.
  • Chandra Moore, coG-studio, Detroit, Mich.
  • Sheila Stenhouse Lee, Sheila Lee & Associates, LLC, Baltimore, Md.
  • Sandra Sassow, SEaB Energy Limited, Southhampton, United Kingdom
  • Yaneek Page, Future Services International, Kingston, Jamaica
  • Sandy Riser, SwanRise Productions and The Next Level Business Solutions, Tucson, Ariz.

 
Women receiving honorable mention:

  • Hima Kolanagireddy, ASCII Group, LLC, Farmington, Mic.
  • Catherine M. Tojaga, CT Mechanical, Lombard, Ill.
  • Simona Faroni, G.S. Gelato and Desserts, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
  • Juliet Shrader, iVantage Group, Brighton, Mic.
  • Loni Mouton, Access Land & Title Services, Inc., Metairie, La.
  • Christine Lotze, Philosophy IB, LLP, Florham Park, N.J.
  • Deborah Wooldridge, DW Training and Development, Inc., Carlsbad, Calif.
  • Debbie Drury, Market Doctors, Dickinson, TX
  • Rashi A. Khosla, MARS IT Corp., Wauwatosa, WI
  • Danielle Hughes, Divine Capital Markets LLC, New York, N.Y.
  • Megan Buzzetta, Global Planners, Inc., Hamilton, N.J.
  • Joaneane A. Smith, Global Commerce and Services, LLC, Harvey, La.
  • Barbara Wichmann, ARTEMIA Communications, Inc., San Francisco, Calif.
  • Christy Lamagna, Strategic Meetings & Events, Bernardsville, N.J.
  • Robin Franks, TGE Resources, Inc., Houston, TX
  • Cindi Shelby, R Meyers, Nichols Hills, Okla.
  • Shari Yocum, Tasman Consulting, LLC, San Francisco, Calif.
  • Connie Golleher, The Golleher Group, LLC, McLean, Va.
  • Twyla N. Garrett, IME, Washington, DC
  • Vandana Mehrotra, Meteonic Innovation Pvt Ltd., Bangalore, India
  • Susan Munro, Hybrid Edit, Marina del Rey, Calif.
  • Stacy Francis, Francis Financial, New York, N.Y.
  • Patricia Vice, CRM, FAI, CRM & Associates, Inc., Houston, TX
  • Sassa Akervall, Akervall Technologies Inc., Saline, Mich.
  • Julianne Erhart-Graves, Worley Erhart-Graves Financial Advisors, Inc., Indianapolis, Ind.
  • Sandy Wyman, Tidestone Solutions, Portland, ME
  • Shelly Aberson, Aberson Narotzky & White, Inc., Kenilworth, N.J.
  • Joyce Brocaglia, Alta Associates and the Executive Women’s Forum, Flemington, N.J.
  • Hilary Kaye, HKA, Inc. Marketing Communications, Tustin, Calif.
  • Lisa Fairclough, Fairclough Realtors and Property Managers (Lisa Fairclough Enterprises), Sparta, N.J.
  • Johnette Van Eeden, Star Wellness, Euless, TX
  • Andrea Mason, barre3, Oklahoma City, Okla.
  • Carrie Brewer Martinez, CM Productions, Inc., Dallas, TX
  • Karin Caro, BluChip Marketing, Smithtown, N.Y.
  • Carrie Rich, The Global Good Fund, Arlington, Va.
  • Heather Howell, Rooibee Red Tea, Louisville, Ky.
  • Madeline Ann Lewis, PhD, Executive Women’s Success Institute, Upper Marlboro, Md.
  • Heather Anne Sams, HAS Art Solutions, Jacksonville, Fla.
  • Natasha Pongonis, Nativa, a Multicultural Communications Agency, Columbus, OH
  • Sharon W. Reynolds, DevMar Products, LLC, Nashville, Tenn.
  • Kristin Carrington, Carrington Risk Consulting, LLC, Ft. Myers Beach, Fla.
  • Susan McCormick, M.S., The Wellness Connection, LLC, Stone Ridge, Va.
  • Della Simpson, Relan, Mendota Heights, Minn.
  • Memuna Williams, Avantgarde Translations, Charlotte, N.C.
  • Jacqueline E. Muller, 3DOM (Asia Pacific) Ltd., Hong Kong
  • Moni Singh, STEM For Kids, Raleigh, N.C.

The 2015 Enterprising Women of the Year Awards Celebration and Conference will bring together dynamic women business owners from North America and around the world for two full days of top-notch workshops, networking opportunities, corporate sponsor exhibits, and awards presentations. The celebration will shine the spotlight on award winners and finalists, with award presentations at the Enterprising Women of the Year Awards Gala Dinner. During the annual “Hall of Fame Luncheon,” one woman entrepreneur will be inducted into the Enterprising Women Hall of Fame, an outstanding nonprofit will receive the 2015 Advocacy Award, and two women will be recognized with the 2015 Legacy Award.
 
The event is open to winners and finalists of the Enterprising Women of the Year Award, corporate supporters, members of the Enterprising Women Advisory Board, VIPs in the women’s business community, readers of Enterprising Women magazine, and members of the many partner organizations affiliated with Enterprising Women.
 
Partner organizationsrepresented on the Enterprising Women Advisory Board and supporting the 2015 event include:

  • The Women Presidents’ Organization (WPO)
  • Women Impacting Public Policy (WIPP)
  • Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC)
  • National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO)
  • National Women Business Owners Corporation (NWBOC)
  • Institute for Economic Empowerment of Women (IEEW)
  • The Global Initiative for Women’s Entrepreneurship Research
  • Women’s Business Development Center (WBDC)
  • Quantum Leaps
  • Springboard Enterprise
  • UnitedSucces
  • Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council (SBEC)/Women Entrepreneurs Inc. (WE)
  • Count Me In for Women’s Economic Independence
  • Women’s Leadership Exchange
  • The International Alliance for Women (TIAW)
  • Asian Women in Business (AWIB)
  • eWomenNetwork (EWN)
  • Association of Women’s Business Centers (AWBC)
  • National Association of Women REO Brokerages (NAWRB)

 
QUOTES:
“When this awards program began 13 years ago, there were only a handful of nominees in what was then the highest revenue category – over $10 million in annual revenues. This growth reflects the fact that more women are scaling their businesses to the $100 million plus level. The Enterprising Women of the Year Award has grown each year in prestige and stature so women entrepreneurs at all levels want to be recognized with this award for the great work they are doing. We could not be more proud of the outstanding women who make up the Enterprising Women Class of 2015,” Smiley said.
 
DETAILS:
– For more information or to register to attend the 2015 Enterprising Women of the Year Awards Celebration and Conference, visit http://enterprisingwomen.com.
 
NEW MEDIA CONTENT:
Enterprising Women Facebook Page:
https://facebook.com/EnterprisingWomen
 
Enterprising Women Twitter Page:
https://twitter.com/EWMagazine
 
Enterprising Women LinkedIn Page:
http://linkedin.com/groups/Enterprising-Women-Magazine-4470189
 
ABOUT ENTERPRISING WOMEN MAGAZINE:
Enterprising Women, with headquarters in Cary, North Carolina, is the nation’s only women-owned magazine published exclusively for women business owners that chronicles the growing political, economic and social influence and power of entrepreneurial women. The magazine provides a friendly meeting place, a public forum and a national stage for the critical issues confronting women’s businesses and daily lives from the unique perspectives and experiences of entrepreneurial women. Published in both print and digital editions, the online edition of the magazine reaches nearly one million readers in 185 countries. For more information, please visit http://enterprisingwomen.com or call (919) 362-1551.

PRESS RELEASE: Norwegian Cruise Line Hosts the Best In Class Web Experience; Leaves Competition in Their Wake

Key Lime Interactive Ranks Norwegian Cruise Line’s Website Best-In-Class in Comprehensive User Experience Report.  

Miami, FL – Key Lime Interactive (KLI), an industry leader in competitive index reporting across a variety of industries, released the results of their Contemporary and Premium Brands 2014 Cruise Competitive Benchmark Study at the close the third quarter ranking Norwegian Cruise Line as Best-In-Class. The report compares the website for seven cruise brands including Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America, Disney Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. and Norwegian Cruise Line. The report reveals that Norwegian Cruise Lines offered the best “overall site satisfaction” over a variety of indices such as brand affinity. The Key Lime Interactive Competitive Benchmark study defines these indices as “behavioral loyalty.”

“Consistently positive emotional experiences result in consumer loyalty,” reported Ania Rodriguez, Founder and CEO of Key Lime Interactive. “Norwegian’s site visitors indicated that they had a high likelihood to return to the site and book a cruise in the future. Most importantly, the site significantly outperformed its competitors’ in terms of time spent on the site. Time spent increased the brand’s perception relating to attributes such as ‘entertaining’, ‘appealing’, ‘fun’, and ‘family-oriented’.”

These emotional experiences and demonstrated behavior were measured using a task-based user research approach in which hundreds of users participate in a study passively, in their natural context, from geographically widespread locations. A mix of experienced and inexperienced cruisers were recruited to visit a cruise website and perform a series of tasks. Before, during and after task completion, several lines of questioning were asked so that Key Lime Interactive’s team of researchers could evaluate a series of drivers and determine how each site performs. These detailed results help design and digital marketing professionals at each brand better understand the online customer journey. Digital marketing and product development teams count on these findings to meet the needs and expectations of their target audience in strategic planning sessions.

Norwegian significantly outperformed the other players in areas such as “Offering Satisfaction” and “Value Proposition.” Additional analysis across six other drivers is featured in the report.

Norwegian stakeholders responded favorably. “…Not only are we prioritizing what users claim they need, but we get a first-hand view of what users are doing on the site. In our experience, what our guests say, and how they actually behave online doesn’t always align. This methodology provides the details we need to in order to focus our development plans in the coming year,” says Rob Casas, Vice President of eCommerce at Norwegian Cruise Line.

Casas and others rely on Key Lime Interactive reporting to drive the development roadmap into the next quarter and beyond. In many cases, deficits or strengths easily translate to quick fixes or strategic change to improve prospective buyer experience.

Additional Report Information

Key Lime Interactive’s Cruise Experience Mobile Heuristics were used to determine the overall score and ranking of seven (7) companies including Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America, Disney Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. and Norwegian Cruise Lines. These heuristics consisted of a capabilities assessment, comparative feature ranking and overall user score and ranking.

The methodology first aimed to understand by using consumers’ self-reported preferences; which features and tasks were must-haves when it came to interacting with the site. These identified features were then placed into priority order to highlight their importance. This ranking was used in an algorithm to tabulate the final scores.

Key Lime Interactive recognizes the importance of aligning business-centric goals with consumer-centric needs to produce winning solutions and makes this a core component to all deliverables. This incorporation of user feedback is a primary component for this and all studies across various industries ranging from finance, retail, hospitality, etc.

“Other reports highlight what we’re doing well from an expert user experience researcher perspective. This report is different because it tells us what we’re doing well from the user perspective. When adjusting the opportunities for improvements listed we can see the direct impact on overall site success.” says Casas as he anticipates Norwegian’s scores in the next report release.

All assessments are as of August 22, 2014. The next iteration of the study will be available in the summer of 2015.

To purchase the published report, please reach out to Key Lime Interactive for more information at sales(at)keylimeinteractive(dot)com

Researchers, Designers, Executives, Journalists and Bloggers in the Cruise, Travel and Leisure Industry are encouraged to contact Key Lime Interactive with any additional questions.

About Key Lime Interactive

Key Lime Interactive is an user experience research firm with proven excellence in both quantitative and qualitative user and consumer testing. To serve our growing client list of Fortune 100 companies, we conduct competitive research, true intent / voice of customer studies, and prototype studies using quantitative methods. Additionally, we’re experienced in moderating one-on-one interviews/ usability studies, focus groups, and eye-tracking studies for both the traditional and mobile web. Currently, Key Lime is working to help top brands better understand their customer via behavioral personas and customer journey mapping. Ultimately, our goal is to empower teams to use consumer/user experience data at any and all phases of product development; from strategy to implementation. We aim to provide the true perspective of target users and build exceptional consumer-driven solutions.

PRESS RELEASE: Norwegian Cruise Line Hosts the Best In Class Web Experience; Leaves Competition in Their Wake

Key Lime Interactive Ranks Norwegian Cruise Line’s Website Best-In-Class in Comprehensive User Experience Report.  

Miami, FL – Key Lime Interactive (KLI), an industry leader in competitive index reporting across a variety of industries, released the results of their Contemporary and Premium Brands 2014 Cruise Competitive Benchmark Study at the close the third quarter ranking Norwegian Cruise Line as Best-In-Class. The report compares the website for seven cruise brands including Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America, Disney Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. and Norwegian Cruise Line. The report reveals that Norwegian Cruise Lines offered the best “overall site satisfaction” over a variety of indices such as brand affinity. The Key Lime Interactive Competitive Benchmark study defines these indices as “behavioral loyalty.”

“Consistently positive emotional experiences result in consumer loyalty,” reported Ania Rodriguez, Founder and CEO of Key Lime Interactive. “Norwegian’s site visitors indicated that they had a high likelihood to return to the site and book a cruise in the future. Most importantly, the site significantly outperformed its competitors’ in terms of time spent on the site. Time spent increased the brand’s perception relating to attributes such as ‘entertaining’, ‘appealing’, ‘fun’, and ‘family-oriented’.”

These emotional experiences and demonstrated behavior were measured using a task-based user research approach in which hundreds of users participate in a study passively, in their natural context, from geographically widespread locations. A mix of experienced and inexperienced cruisers were recruited to visit a cruise website and perform a series of tasks. Before, during and after task completion, several lines of questioning were asked so that Key Lime Interactive’s team of researchers could evaluate a series of drivers and determine how each site performs. These detailed results help design and digital marketing professionals at each brand better understand the online customer journey. Digital marketing and product development teams count on these findings to meet the needs and expectations of their target audience in strategic planning sessions.

Norwegian significantly outperformed the other players in areas such as “Offering Satisfaction” and “Value Proposition.” Additional analysis across six other drivers is featured in the report.

Norwegian stakeholders responded favorably. “…Not only are we prioritizing what users claim they need, but we get a first-hand view of what users are doing on the site. In our experience, what our guests say, and how they actually behave online doesn’t always align. This methodology provides the details we need to in order to focus our development plans in the coming year,” says Rob Casas, Vice President of eCommerce at Norwegian Cruise Line.

Casas and others rely on Key Lime Interactive reporting to drive the development roadmap into the next quarter and beyond. In many cases, deficits or strengths easily translate to quick fixes or strategic change to improve prospective buyer experience.

Additional Report Information

Key Lime Interactive’s Cruise Experience Mobile Heuristics were used to determine the overall score and ranking of seven (7) companies including Carnival Cruise Lines, Holland America, Disney Cruise Line, Princess Cruises, Celebrity Cruises, Royal Caribbean Cruise Ltd. and Norwegian Cruise Lines. These heuristics consisted of a capabilities assessment, comparative feature ranking and overall user score and ranking.

The methodology first aimed to understand by using consumers’ self-reported preferences; which features and tasks were must-haves when it came to interacting with the site. These identified features were then placed into priority order to highlight their importance. This ranking was used in an algorithm to tabulate the final scores.

Key Lime Interactive recognizes the importance of aligning business-centric goals with consumer-centric needs to produce winning solutions and makes this a core component to all deliverables. This incorporation of user feedback is a primary component for this and all studies across various industries ranging from finance, retail, hospitality, etc.

“Other reports highlight what we’re doing well from an expert user experience researcher perspective. This report is different because it tells us what we’re doing well from the user perspective. When adjusting the opportunities for improvements listed we can see the direct impact on overall site success.” says Casas as he anticipates Norwegian’s scores in the next report release.

All assessments are as of August 22, 2014. The next iteration of the study will be available in the summer of 2015.

To purchase the published report, please reach out to Key Lime Interactive for more information at sales(at)keylimeinteractive(dot)com

Researchers, Designers, Executives, Journalists and Bloggers in the Cruise, Travel and Leisure Industry are encouraged to contact Key Lime Interactive with any additional questions.

About Key Lime Interactive

Key Lime Interactive is an user experience research firm with proven excellence in both quantitative and qualitative user and consumer testing. To serve our growing client list of Fortune 100 companies, we conduct competitive research, true intent / voice of customer studies, and prototype studies using quantitative methods. Additionally, we’re experienced in moderating one-on-one interviews/ usability studies, focus groups, and eye-tracking studies for both the traditional and mobile web. Currently, Key Lime is working to help top brands better understand their customer via behavioral personas and customer journey mapping. Ultimately, our goal is to empower teams to use consumer/user experience data at any and all phases of product development; from strategy to implementation. We aim to provide the true perspective of target users and build exceptional consumer-driven solutions.