Raising Quality

What Do Customers Want?

This information is part of the Customers topic.

In this topic:

• What do customers want?
• Analysing your customers

General requirements

There are some things that all tourism customers want:

• The best quality in their price range
• Easy booking/buying methods
• Very good customer service
• Attention to detail, extra touches
• Confidence (in your business, in you and your staff, in your destination, in your marketing and in your buying procedures)
• Information (about you, about your destination)
• Help to 'visualise' their stay before they come - ideas, itineraries
• Help to enjoy their stay once they're here
• Good food: local, well cooked and presented, appealing menus
• Comfortable, clean, well presented premises
• A warm welcome, a sense that you're taking an interest in how good their stay/experience is
• A sense of place - a sense that they've got the flavour of your area or region

In addition to these general requirements there are three other factors that influence customers' needs: lifestyle, interest and nationality.

Requirements according to lifestyle

People from different backgrounds, lifestyles and incomes clearly have different needs, wants and interests. When you are thinking about the people who book or buy from you, take into account their income and lifestyle when you are trying to imagine what their needs and expectations may be from your business.

It helps that considerable investment has been made in determining the tourism habits and likes/dislikes of different 'profiles' of customers. Having a broad understanding of these, added to what you already know about your particular customers and about people in general, can really help make sure that you are providing the right products and services. Click here to view tourism profiles of the key groups that come to North East England.

What's more, it is possible to determine a customer's profile (their income level, lifestyle type etc) from their postcode. By matching these socio-demographic profiles to the broad tourism ones you get useful information about the people who enquire from you but don't book or buy. You may be able to spot trends and work out why you aren't converting these potential customers.

Requirements according to interest

Many more customers are now booking and buying tourism products and services based around their interests: shopping, culture, heritage, getting away from it all, activities, rest and relaxation, nightlife and so on. With a little thought and help from our Marketing, Advertising and PR section you can work out what these customers need, and whether your business is, or could be, suited to meet them. For example, walkers and cyclists need easy access to and good information about suitable routes, inside tips on where to stop for lunch or take in a beauty spot, somewhere secure to store their bikes or walking gear, somewhere to rinse out and dry muddy clothes and shoes. Packed lunches are helpful, as is transport to or from start and end points.

Young families need entertainment for very small children but also something to keep the adults happy, easy buggy access, somewhere to prepare and/or heat baby food, really nice nappy changing facilities (with maybe spare nappies and wipes), and so on.

Requirements according to nationality

Probably the great majority of your customers are British and since you are running a British business yourself, understanding the likes/dislikes and expectations of these customers is fairly easy. But in North East England we get a lot of customers from Germany, Norway, Ireland, Netherlands, USA/Canada, Spain and France. If you aren't already attracting these customers, why? And what could you do to attract more? Remember that these visitors are coming to experience what North East England has to offer. You don't need to recreate their own lifestyles, but a little information in their own language at your website and at your establishment, an indication that you welcome them, and an understanding of their culture is helpful. Visit our International Customers pages for more information.

Take the next step in this topic:

The next step is to look at your own customers and determine what their interests, needs and lifestyle mean for your business. You'll also look at who you aren't attracting and which customers enquire from you, but don't book or buy from you.

• Analysing your customers