Thomas

🎁 Last year, gift cards in France saw an 8% growth, reaching €8 billion, with the country ranking 3rd in Europe for gift card sales volume. Experts predict a 14% increase this year. Digital gift cards are projected to grow by over 16% in 2024, with global spending nearing $740 billion. Average gift card value is around €190 as of 2023. Experiential gift cards are trending, offering services instead of material items, believed to increase happiness by 7%.

📱 Digital adoption surges with customers increasingly using digital channels to find businesses, check prices, read reviews, and make secure reservations. By 2025, this trend is expected to accelerate. Only 21% of leisure professionals are considered fully digitized according to PhocusWright. The leisure industry reservations online increased from 75.8% in 2017 to 82.2% in 2018, with direct sales in the US leisure sector jumping from 32% in 2019 to 75% in 2023. However, 40% of global operators still lacked a modern booking system in 2024. The leisure industry seeks to slow price hikes in 2025 after a daunting 2024 season. In 2025, it's crucial for businesses to integrate digital tools for on-site customer experience improvements, use responsive websites with real-time booking engines, connect to online travel agencies (OTAs), and ensure mobile compatibility, given 80% of high-season bookings are last-minute and made on mobile devices. Google My Business and mobile payments like ApplePay and GooglePay are becoming essential. Google's "Things To Do" enables direct, real-time booking information, which is free for businesses.

💸 Kantar's yearly study reveals that "GenZ" travelers abandon bookings due to reservation system issues 70% of the time, while "baby-boomers" do so at 28%. Millenials (28-43 years) show less tolerance at 61%, compared to "GenX" (44-59 years) at 47%, and "Radio Babies" (79-96 years) at just 13%. Security concerns lead abandonment reasons (22%), followed by payment issues (19%), and slow loading times (16%). Booking a "standard" room is the initial choice for 46% of travelers, 33% consider an upgrade, 14% a "Deluxe" room, 4% an "Executive", and 3% a suite. Loyalty trends show an increase to 24% from 15% two years ago. Top extras include breakfast (47%), room descriptions and sizes (30%), preferred views (28%), and late checkouts or early check-ins (24%). However, 13% of travelers are against paying for extras. In terms of pricing, 65% accept peak period rate adjustments, with French travelers being more tolerant at 58%. Lastly, 37% of French travelers cite "value for money" as the main reason for hotel return visits.

💰 Le 14 novembre, la Commission européenne a nommé Booking "contrôleur d'accès" selon le Digital Markets Act (DMA), influençant la stratégie tarifaire des hébergeurs européens. Booking s'engage à ne pas augmenter ses commissions ou retirer des offres en représailles à des prix différents sur d'autres canaux. Selon HOTREC, 40% des hôtels dénoncent des sous-cotations d'OTAs, et 44% des hôtels sont affectés par le "multi-sourcing". Booking représente 71% des réservations des hôtels européens. Skift Research prévoit que d'ici 2030, les réservations directes surpasseront celles des OTAs.

🏠 A new "regulation" law impacting seasonal rentals and concierge services in France will increase tax and legal obligations from January. Conciergeries nationwide must now inform owners of legal requirements, with penalties for non-compliance reaching €12,500 per property. Fiscal changes include a reduced deduction rate from 50% to 30% and a lower income cap from €77,000 to €15,000. Airbnb's expansion of its Co-Host network adds 20,000 new potential co-hosts to the existing 10,000, posing additional competition to local conciergeries.

📌 Sénat voted on new rental laws; effective January 1. Abattement fiscal reduced from 50% to 30% starting January 1, 2025, for furnished tourist rentals; revenue cap lowered from €77,700 to €15,000. Classed meublés de tourisme now have a 50% abattement with a €77,000 ceiling, down from €188,700. Assembly may further reduce abattement to 30% during the budget project discussions. A national registry for meublés will be created; owners must declare properties, providing documentation including environmental compliance. Sanctions for non-compliance can reach up to €50,000.

🛒 In France, during the 2023 Black Friday week, home equipment spending reached €751 million, a slight decrease of 1% from 2022. Over 5 years, Black Friday revenue increased by 22% according to Kantar Worldpanel. The average spend per person in 2022 was €67, with a yearly budget of €330 for French consumers. The three days of Black Friday accounted for 10% of total November sales.