Are You Using the Best Design and Most Useful Data to Engage Your Customers?

An effective online presence has never been more important to businesses in the travel sector. Today’s average traveller will extensively research and book their travel and accommodation with just a few taps of a screen. A few years ago, investing in a streamlined website that considered the user journey would have been enough. But in the fast-paced digital world where mobile devices rule, forward thinking hotels with an eye on growing reservations need their strategy to encompass much, much more.

For businesses to thrive, marketing hotel strategies need to place on the go online activity at the heart of their offering. Travellers today don’t only research destinations when they’re on the move, they book flights, read hotel reviews, and plan their holiday activities. To tap into the market of modern travellers, you need to match their enthusiasm for smartphones and tablets.

In 2016, UK adults spent more time on their mobiles than desktops for the first time ever, according to research from eMarketer. The average adult used their phone for 2 hours and 29 minutes each day, a rise of 11.8% on the previous year. With smartphones becoming more powerful, it’s a figure that’s set to continue rising.

It’s an area of growth that hotel marketing solutions need to consider from the outset to increase direct bookings. Results from a Google survey show that 31% of consumers who used a mobile for travel-related activities in the past month use their devices to search for travel information on a daily basis, demonstrating the opportunity you have to reach potential customers. What’s more, customers are willing to spend via mobile devices, with survey participants spending on average $299.50 in the previous 90 days.

But to entice travellers, marketing hotel strategies need to make the process simple, quick, and attractive. Did you know that 90% of travellers using mobile devices will switch to another site or app if it fails to meet their needs? You only have a small window to make a positive impression and convert users. Over half of mobile visitors will abandon a site if it takes longer than three second to load but the average travel website takes over ten seconds, losing a substantial amount of traffic.

With the shift towards mobile connectivity in mind, hotel websites need to be optimised and engaging for those customers. For some businesses, it could mean a change in the design and data used throughout their digital profile is necessary. There are some core areas that you should be utilising to improve your customer experience from mobile devices.

Responsive design

Website that have responsive design will automatically configure to meet the requirements of the devices travellers are using. It’s a technical feature that means your customers are guaranteed the same experience and level of service whether they access your website via a laptop or smartphone.

SPAs

Single page applications (SPAs) can enhance the user experience without them having to pass through multiple pages, ideal for mobile use. These single HTML pages dynamically update as the user interacts with it, creating a fluid journey and eliminating the need to constantly reload pages.

Personalisation

With access to more information, you’re in a position to uniquely tailor the user journey, improving your conversion rate. Personalised experiences are a trend that travellers are coming to expect. When done right it can have a direct, positive impact on reservations, satisfaction, and repeat bookings.