Industry Focus:

Online car rental: where performance is picking up. Car rental companies getting into gear online.

Even under the best of circumstances – say, planning a ski vacation or a romantic getaway – booking a rental car online is unlikely to be the highlight of a consumer’s trip planning experience. While there’s some relish in comparing the amenities of alpine inns, booking a car is painless at best – in part because car rental companies have been slow to establish the level of usability and performance consumers have come expect from other online transactions.

But that may be changing, as indicated by recent data from Keynote Competitive Research. According to Stephen Foster, director of competitive research at Keynote, many car rental brand sites are making significant improvements in the design and efficiency of their online shopping and booking processes. “We’re looking at incremental change in a mature market. But I think overall it’s getting better…offering a much better customer experience than two or three years ago,” observes Foster. “I think every year we’re going to see a better product and a better experience consistently delivered to consumers.”

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