Major market changes

Up, down, could be better? How to get more bookings is our number one obsession. Talk shop here.
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charles cawley
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Major market changes

Post by charles cawley »

Rather than contribute to the thread about market changes post Brexit, I thought to start a new one because several things seem to be on the move. The Pro-EU anti-EU stuff can be dull and ideological- we have to get on with business.

Over the last few weeks, demand has risen. We estimate by about 10%. Agents appear to be doing better than go-it-alone owners, partly we suspect, because people switching from foreign holidays are more used to booking through agents. The reduction in the value of Sterling has helped a little reducing the attraction of abroad and prompting more foreign visitors. The latter are not a key to our business although I have heard that London's tourism is going pretty well out of this.

Internet bullies, such as AirBnB who seem to think it possible to advertise rivals into extinction, are not having their way. This is due to increasing search skills; the wish for a focused selection in the area to be visited; vulnerability to brand smearing; and, perhaps, a growing tendency for smaller agencies to survive offering high quality for guests and owner service. Meanwhile, some moderate and lower quality cottages are migrating to the mega brands.

It is a complicated scene. Listing sites appear to be in the doldrums and the great days when single cottage operators saw significant benefits from organic search results are long gone.

Meanwhile, Facebook appears to be causing Google discomfort as the National and international booking agencies find it of growing use. Because it cannot focus as effectively as Google, smaller regional agencies and go-it-alone owners cannot benefit the same way as big operators. However, we have seen the cost per click significantly reduce on Google Adwords over the last two years indicating that either larger operators have trimmed their budgets or they have found somewhere else to advertise.

But if Facebook finds a way to emulate the focus and edge Google still has for advertisers, it could face the same fate it dished out to Yahoo in the late '90s when it developed its algorithms and sent Yahoo into a long decline to the extinction of its independence a few weeks ago.

Aside from Facebook competition, Google may also be suffering from maturing cyberspace branding reducing the need to advertise on the internet. Combined with an increasing search ability and an increasing market share of younger people, the great days for Google Adwords could be coming to an end.

Over the years, we used to get calls from Google. In 2010 - 2012, they were to assist and help us use Google, with no overt selling angle. Then, things went quite. Recently, we have received calls which are equally helpful but sound more urgent. It is clear these helpful people are focused on getting us to spend more. The old deal was implicit: helpful Google will show you how you can spend more and make more. Now, it is helpful Google.. but spend more anyway.

The last call rushed us into increasing by 10% click bids on a location basis of the entire UK... I commented that we would try this for a time; sure enough, spend went up 10% but total time spent on our site did not rise in proportion. The style was urgent and slightly bullying... in a 'so helpful' way. Google is under pressure.

Many people now see 'abroad' as dangerous. This is driving people to stay in the UK. Enquiries for consultancy from Holiday Lets For Sale have increased with a couple coming through in the last week or so from major AST landlords toying with the idea of quite large scale holiday letting. I would not have advised them to do this since the appalling weather of 2012 and the 2013 Christmas N/Y floods.

But times have changed.
Last edited by charles cawley on Wed Aug 10, 2016 11:06 am, edited 4 times in total.
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greenbarn
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Post by greenbarn »

Thanks as ever for your insights Charles!
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charles cawley
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Post by charles cawley »

Thanks, Greenbarn. I omitted mention of the impact of exchange rates in para 2. This has been corrected.

It is a complicated and interesting affair.
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Bassman
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Post by Bassman »

greenbarn wrote:Thanks as ever for your insights Charles!
+1
I do enjoy reading your posts Charles
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charles cawley
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Post by charles cawley »

Thanks. All too often this stuff comes from the top of the head. It is usually, as this one, transferred to the blog on Holiday Lets for Sale.

As I do that, other ideas nearly always seem to come up.

The above has been edited, again, to include this remark:

"But if Facebook finds a way to emulate the focus and edge Google still has for advertisers, it could face the same fate it dished out to Yahoo in the late '90s when it developed its algorithms and sent Yahoo into a long decline to the extinction of its independence a few weeks ago."
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Post by kg1 »

Wecome back - wondered where you'd gone!

Interesting post, thank you.
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Post by pambon »

Bassman wrote:
greenbarn wrote:Thanks as ever for your insights Charles!
+1
I do enjoy reading your posts Charles
+ 1 in spite of enormous differences in your lettings and mine!
nuneatonmark
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Post by nuneatonmark »

Thanks Charles, always an interesting read, our Cornish apartment is doing very well in contrast with our Florida property which did great last year.
Nuneaton Mark
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Post by ClareyD »

Thank you, Charles. That's very interesting reading. This is our first full year trading, so it's difficult for us to draw any comparisons, but we've been surprised just how many bookings we've taken.
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Post by gozokerry »

Thanks Charles, the increase in interest in UK properties seems to match a reduced interest in the properties here. We see very few hits over the past few weeks.
Kerry

As Hamlet said ;-"There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so"
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Post by Tivoli »

gozokerry wrote:Thanks Charles, the increase in interest in UK properties seems to match a reduced interest in the properties here. We see very few hits over the past few weeks.
Likewise :(
HoneypotCottages
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Post by HoneypotCottages »

Thanks Charles. Your posts / blog are always a worthwhile read 8)
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Ross Hugo
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Post by Ross Hugo »

Hi Charles,

Insightful thoughts as always. I particularly agree with your comments about "the wish for a focused selection in the area to be visited" and "perhaps, a growing tendency for smaller agencies to survive offering high quality for guests and owner service."

Right on the money as far as I can see. A number of our customers who occupy the smaller, regional, quality agency sector are doing rather well right now and long may it continue.

Best
Ross Hugo
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Links

Post by Jes »

The links to holidaylets don't seem to be working?
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Nemo
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Post by Nemo »

They're not live links. Copy and paste them into a browser.
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