Most travellers will start researching destinations and hotels well before they have applied for annual leave. Current statistics indicate that over 90%* of all travellers will conduct their research online and 82% will go on to make an online booking.
However, were you aware that 87.08%** of online travel bookings are abandoned at the booking stage, with 37% of these leaving the site to compare prices on other booking sites?
The question to ask is,, how can you increase the stickiness of your website to secure a direct booking?
1. Correctly display what your property has to offer.
It is always a good idea to clearly display your offering by making sure all your property information is easily accessible on your site. You do not want to encourage potential guests to leave your site in order to search for relevant information elsewhere.
2. Provide clear pricing.
Be clear on the price throughout the booking process. No one likes a nasty surprise when they get to the final step in the process only to discover hidden additional charges.
3. Don’t let your guest shop around, use a rate comparison tool.
Price-conscious travellers abandon bookings at the last minute to check out prices on OTA sites that may be perceived to offer better rates. An inbuilt live Rate Comparison tool on your website reads the rates from other distribution channels that your property sells on and displays these rates next to your own. Not only does this eliminate the need for customers to check prices elsewhere but it increases the trust in your own website by providing the guest with up-to-date transparent data.
Why use a Rate Comparison Tool?
A rate comparison tool has benefits for both you and your potential guests. It can help you stay aware of your own pricing within the market, enabling you to adjust your rates accordingly, without the hassle of having to manually research pricing on each of the OTAs.
By introducing the rate comparison tool into the early stages of the customer’s journey, you are providing transparency to your guest, which is important to instill trust with them from the outset If customers aren’t looking on other sites for a better deal, they are less likely to come across your competitor’s property, making it more likely that they will continue with the booking process for your property.
By offering added value on your direct booking form, the guest will more likely transact with you directly rather than booking through an OTA.
Along with good photography, engaging copy and easy functionality, one of the best ways to increase guest confidence and secure a direct booking is to use a rate comparison tool.
*https://www.stratosjets.com/blog/online-travel-statistics/
***https://www.salecycle.com/blog/featured/10-fascinating-stats-cart-abandonment/*
