OREANDA-NEWS. When people think about the 'path to purchase' and shopper behaviour, they instinctively apply it to the FMCG sector. But path to purchase learnings apply equally effectively to any business - including the travel and hotel sector.

GfK's Sarah Gleason and Marriott International's Rob Johnston are coming together at the International Shopper Insights in Action Event on 3-5 November to present a powerful case study.

They will share their most recent learning from Marriot's path to purchase research, including:

What influences people's choice of hotel

The range of options people use to plan and book their travel

What influences people' s decisions to book directly and how does that vary by geography around the world

What combination of insights are most relevant in driving market-specific learning

How 'action planning' workshops involving corporate and regional teams can be used successfully to create and implement specific plans

Sarah Gleason, Senior Vice President of Shopper & Retail Strategy at GfK, comments "The travel and hotel industry is an area where digital has become hugely important. People are increasingly using online channels to research, plan and book their hotels for both business and personal trips - and that presents hotels with a big new field of competition, challenge and opportunities. The key to turning this area into success lies in having a clear and comprehensive picture of exactly how different types of consumers are using online and offline channels and what triggers they are responding to at each point."

The International Shopper Insights in Action Event 2014 takes place at the Sheraton Grand, Edinburgh, Scotland on 3-5 November.