Expedia has launched a series of “shoppable storefronts” curated by social media influencers and brands.
The company’s Travel Shops, announced Monday (Sept. 16), allow creators to share and save travel recommendations using the Expedia app.
“Every day, people are liking and buying products recommended by influencers they trust, but until now there hasn’t been a simple way to shop travel recommendations,” Lauri Metrose, senior vice president of global communications at Expedia, said in a news release.
“Travelers are already getting inspiration through Instagram and TikTok, so creating a path to go from looking to booking is a natural evolution that meets travelers where they’re at.”
The program is launching as an invite-only offering, but will become widely available next year, allowing anyone to create their own shop, the company added.
Aside from storefronts run by travel influencers, travelers can also book hotel collections from figures like actor and producer Jaime Camil and footballer Virgil van Dijk, as well as media outlets like Condé Nast Traveler, and local tourism pounds like Travel Alberta and Visit Orlando.
As noted here earlier this year, social media can go a long way toward shaping travel trends. A study by online travel agency justfly.com underlines the dominance of Facebook in audience engagement, with that platform nearly half of Generation Z and more than 70% of older demographics. Likewise, YouTube remains highly popular among Gen Z, millennials and baby boomers.
The study found that younger consumers, particularly Gen Z and millennials, depend heavily on social media for travel planning, with 81% and 75%, respectively, considering it in choosing a destination. Though comparatively lower, half of Generation X and 32% of baby boomers still pointed to social media’s influence in their travel planning processes.
“Like most aspects of our lives, social media continues to play a bigger and bigger role in what drives our decision-making process,” said Henri Chelhot, CEO of justfly.com.
“It’s clear that travel is no different. Social media will continue to have a huge impact in determining how consumers determine when and where they will travel. Americans are often inspired by what they see on social media.”
Meanwhile, PYMNTS last week wrote about another social media-inspired travel trend: so-called “grocery tourism.”
This phenomenon may have been begun by TikTok user @marissainchina, who posted a video earlier this year asserting, “This may be controversial, but I think the best thing to do while traveling is go to the grocery store. … Going to a grocery store could technically be counted as sightseeing, right? Because not only is it a cultural experience, but you can also find lots of stuff to bring back as souvenirs.”
