PORTLAND, ME--(Marketwired - October 15, 2015) - Certify, a leading cloud-based travel and expense management software provider, today announced the results of its latest SpendSmart™ business report for the third quarter of 2015. Data revealed that ridesharing services Uber and Lyft have now replaced taxis as the number one preferred choice of business travelers across the U.S. In addition, data for Boston shows ridesharing has for the first time surpassed car rental as a percent of total ground transportation.
The SpendSmart™ report tracks business travel expense spending across major categories such as food, airlines, lodging and car rental. The report highlights top vendors and emerging trends by analyzing data from millions of expenses and receipts processed by the Certify system. Data is compiled each quarter to help controllers, accountants and business travelers make informed expense management choices.
For companies in the sharing economy, Certify’s Q3 analysis indicated continued growth among business travelers for ridesharing services Uber and Lyft with modest growth for accommodations app Airbnb. Ridesharing pioneer Uber remains the leader with 31% of total ground transportation transactions (rideshare, taxi and car rental), compared to 22% for taxi. With 3% of total rides, Lyft continues to realize increase adoption rates in the business traveler segment. Car rental remains the most expensed in the category at 44% of total ground transportation. However, data for Boston showed ridesharing out-paced car rental usage at 45% to 23%. This is the first time ridesharing reported higher than car rental in any U.S. metro outside of San Francisco.
Certify also analyzed business expense data for Airbnb. Currently the fifth most popular online travel-booking site for consumers, Airbnb recently stepped up its efforts to attract more corporate customers. However, while receipts show Airbnb has yet to win over the business world, Certify uncovered some interesting trends around how business travelers are using Airbnb. Compared with hotels, corporate travelers stay twice as long in Airbnb accommodations on average, 4 nights to 2. Similarly, it follows that average expense amounts for Airbnb are more than twice the hotel average, coming in at $745 per expense compared with $294. Users also rated their satisfaction with Airbnb an average of 4.3 stars compared with 3.79 stars for hotels.
Additional analysis of the 8.5 million receipts and expenses logged by Certify this quarter includes top travel vendors and leading brands such as Starbucks, McDonald’s, Subway, Delta, United, Marriott, Hampton Inn, National and Enterprise. User ratings and average expense amounts are broken out by category below.
“It’s been incredible to watch the transformation of the ground transportation category unfolding quarter by quarter,” said Robert Neveu, CEO, Certify. “In our SpendSmart data, Uber had just eight percent of the business traveler market in the first quarter of 2014. Now, it accounts for more than thirty percent nationally, and it’s starting to take share from car rental in key U.S. cities. It is clear that business travelers are willing to explore new avenues for traditional services, and that their travel decisions are driven by convenience and quality.”
The Certify SpendSmart™ Report provides analysis of vendors, expense amounts and satisfaction rating data from corporate expense reports collected directly from its customer base. Certify SpendSmart™ reports on millions of receipts and expense transactions every quarter, delivering valuable insights to Certify clients and the business travel and expense industry at large. Certify has been tracking corporate travel and expense data since 2009 and uniquely offers integrated travel booking, travel and expense management and reimbursement in one system. Previous quarterly reports are available here.
Q3 Highlights:
Most-Expensed Restaurants:
Starbucks: 4.83% of expenses, averaging $10.77 per receipt
McDonald’s: 2.93%, averaging $7.75
Subway: 1.69%, averaging $16.69
Panera Bread: 1.65%, averaging $37.90
Dunkin’ Donuts: 1.36%, averaging $11.57
Most Expensed Restaurants by Meal
Breakfast: Starbucks 14.86%
Lunch: Subway 3.67%
Dinner: McDonald’s 1.85%
Top Rated Restaurants (On a scale from 1 to 5, as indicated by travelers)
Chick-Fil-A 4.4
Chipotle 4.3
Olive Garden 4.2
Starbucks 4.2
Texas Roadhouse 4.2
Most Expensed Airlines
Delta: 21.12%, averaging $428.04
United: 13.79%, averaging $428.59
American: 13.21%, averaging $368.97
Southwest: 11.35%, averaging $306.49
US Airways: 06.94%, averaging $295.41
Top Rated Airlines
Alaska Airlines 4.5
Jet Blue 4.4
Southwest 4.4
Delta 4.1
American 3.9
Most-Expensed Hotels
Marriott: 9.39% of expenses, averaging $241.03
Hampton Inn: 8.96%, averaging $230.73
Courtyard by Marriott: 6.90%, averaging $163.39
Holiday Inn Express: 4.61%, averaging $238.25
Hilton Garden Inn: 4.24%, averaging $192.30
Top Rated Hotels
Hyatt 4.3
Courtyard by Marriott 4.2
Hilton Garden Inn 4.2
Homewood Suites 4.2
Westin 4.2
Most Expensed Car-Rental Services
National: 25.83%, averaging $178.79
Hertz: 15.58%, averaging $213.61
Enterprise: 15.52%, averaging $191.86
Avis: 13.82%, averaging $182.92
Budget: 4.34%, averaging $202.89
Top Rated Car-Rental Services
National: 4.2
Enterprise: 4.1
Avis: 4.1
Hertz: 3.8
Budget: 3.8
For complete data and analysis from the SpendSmart Q3 2015 Report, go to: http://www.certify.com/CertifySpendSmartReport.aspx.
About Certify
Certify is the leading online travel and expense management solution for companies of all sizes. Organizations worldwide book travel and complete expense reports quickly, easily, and cost-effectively using Certify cloud and mobile applications. For more information about Certify, please call 207.773.6100 or visit http://www.certify.com.
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