The resurgence of train travel has left its tracks on the search landscape, of course. Activity by ticket sellers and online travel companies is heating up, and Adthena data shows some interesting trends developing.

Above: Adthena share of clicks data – Train booking / ticket generics (past 30 days) 

Full-steam Omio takes sales from Trainline

Booking platform Omio recently announced a partnership with the travel search engine KAYAK. We’re now seeing aggressive campaigns from the traveltech newcomer and from Flixbus focused on key routes in and out of London. On booking and ticketing generic terms, Omio came out swinging, quickly snaring 40% of top ticket aggregator Trainline’s market share. They took a similar bite out of Trainline’s London-to-Glasgow share on both desktop and mobile searches. 

Above: Adthena share of clicks data – Route: London to Glasgow (past 6 weeks)  

To maintain its strong position in the market, however, Omio must keep an eye on the search tactics of Flixbus and other key players as we move into the summer months, demand increases, and new threats and opportunities arise.

Big names are missing the bus

Trainline seems to have been caught flat-footed in other markets as well. Operators like Flixbus have increased activity for routes from Birmingham to London at the expense of both Trainline and National Express.

Above: Adthena share of clicks data – Route: Birmingham to London (past 6 weeks)  

How could Trainline and National Express fight back against aggressors like Omio and Flixbus? Search intelligence and market alerts across popular train routes could help them monitor competitor strategies and counteract new threats to their market share and revenue.

What’s your summer search itinerary?

The travel landscape will continue to evolve into the summer and fall as all that pent-up demand for adventure is lost. Whether you’re booking passengers, rooms, or rental cars, here are some vital search strategies you’ll need to stay competitive:

  • Use search intelligence to take advantage of competitive opportunities, pivot activity to hot categories and destinations, and monitor emerging threats such as competitors aggressively entering the market.
  • Monitor activity on multiple devices, because as people are out and about a lot more, mobile will become more relevant. Omio and Flixbus are both ahead of this trend.
  • Watch the search market to see where demand is growing, then invest budget in those areas.
  • Monitor your competitors’ ad copy and offers to be sure yours stand out.

For help with your PPC strategy reach out to search expert Eloise Kuljanic at eloise.kuljanic@adthena.com