Does the website of your hotel actually sell?

Your hotel website is not only an online business card but above all a sales tool. So if you care about the increase in your booking, it's worth taking a look at your website in terms of its usefulness as an online store. 

Do you know what visitors expect from your site before they become your guests? Do you know what they expect from an e-commerce platform? We advise on what they pay attention to and why you should also look at it.

Mobility

According to Google research, more than half of traffic on websites comes from mobile devices. However, we not only browse websites on our smartphones but also very often make purchases via mobile. We want everything to be carried out quickly, conveniently and safely. As said by Google:

"Fifty-four percent of people say that as the load time for a brand’s mobile site increases, so does their frustration.And that affects the bottom line. In retail, we’ve seen that a one-second delay in mobile load times can impact conversion rates by up to 20%".

This means, that even a small delay in loading the shopping interface can scare away your potential guests! So check the following aspects:

• how does the website of your hotel look on a mobile device
• is it easy to browse through it
• can you easily find information about room availability, prices, and equipment
• can you make a booking easily

Short purchase path

However, it is not only about how fast the mobile interface of your website is. It is also important how the shopping path looks like. According to Google: "Globally, 69% of people say that they will abandon a site or app if there are too many steps involved and 25% of South Korean shoppers say they will abandon a cart if they had to enter too much information" (1)

In other words, even if the interface loads quickly, it is important that the booking can be made in as few steps as possible and only providing the minimal amount of data. Check, how it looks in the case of your hotel’s website. How many steps does the booking require? What does the booking payment look like?

Payments

We have already talked about the fact that online payments are an indispensable element of the online booking system and their absence often results in the abandonment of reservations. This is typical especially for foreign customers who pay attention not only to convenience but also to security

Again, we will quote a Google report that says:

"German consumers value security and 42% of them will abandon their carts for security concerns. (...) In India, 29% of people say that they would abandon a cart if their preferred payment method isn't available7. Make sure your business supports the right payment options for your customers by offering them traditional and alternative payment methods".

An instant payment option is important, especially for mobile interfaces. The ability to pay immediately at the time of booking and to do it through a secure payment interface can help "increase conversions by more than 35%". At a time when the mobile devices market is growing at the rate at which PCs were developing in the 1990s, smartphone and tablet users cannot be disregarded. Make sure that they are welcome on your site!

It is worth to include mobility and online payments in your strategy of building a website and to remember about them when collecting the requirements to create a website. If your site doesn't look presentable on a mobile device or if it doesn’t offer a simple way to book and pay online, this is the right time to consider changing it.

If you are interested in refreshing the website, please contact us.