Do you know exactly what your customers like about your website, what drives them to booking or causes them to abandon a search? If not you should because such testing can pave way for new design and content that can add real value to the shopping experience – and deliver greater conversions in return. Ritesh Gupta hears how Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is doing just that.

Big hotel chains are always trying to find ways to understand the dynamic demands of the online business. This is vital in the drive to generate more direct online business. Some efforts are already underway; for instance, e-commerce teams are already including additional services to customise the guests’ stay as soon as they book. Guests can book a meal in advance, their breakfast of choice, an early check-in or late checkout, or even a bottle of chilled champagne on arrival. Web analytics intelligence is being used to deliver these services as firms focus on analysing and optimising integrated data from all online initiatives. This is not a simple task. For instance, the Accor Group is not only focused on offering more value-added services on its main site but is using 80 mini-sites on its flagship destinations to help guests plan for their stay with advice on cultural events, concerts, local restaurants and so on.

So preparing for components like the design of the search interface and producing relevant results, trialing landing pages, identifying targeted content that can boost conversions and checking buying behaviour and so on becomes critical.

Track and test   

The industry has focused on letting travellers search for travel the same way they think about travel. However, where the search started and the ability to track the path to booking is essential today. To this end, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group evaluates the traffic to and through its websites to identify from where customers enter, at what point they enter, what they visit while on the sites and at where they exit either before or after a booking. In addition, the team is continuously testing the sites to identify what improvements customers find beneficial.

“Particular attention is given to the booking process since that is the measurement for a successful site. However, other areas of the site also get attention as traffic increases or decreases so that we can evaluate what the triggers might be,” says Gigi Deslauriers-Knop, senior director, Online Strategy and Optimisation, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group.

From looking to booking

Carlson Rezidor uses a combination of online measurement and testing tools. These tools help track how customers use the sites. “We see significant interest in the areas of hotel imagery and virtual tours, room photos and descriptions and, of course, searches for rates and availability,” says Deslauriers-Knop.

Online testing is an ongoing initiative. Even before new features are introduced there is thorough checking of what might possibly work.

“We are continuously running A/B and multivariate testing on the sites. This gives us the opportunity to try new concepts in a live environment with real customers prior to making the investment in development,” says Deslauriers-Knop.

Of course, hotels’ primary aim is to get potential guests much closer to booking. It’s not only about knowing the intent, but also speeding up the conversion process. At Carlson Rezidor customers have access to a booking widget or ‘Book A Hotel’ link from every page of the group’s sites. Where possible, rates are introduced to get the customer thinking about making a reservation.

It is imperative not only to assess how users behave on the site, but also to establish follow-up initiatives once they have left. “We have pursued several remarketing initiatives to identify customers who visit our sites but leave before making a booking. We have tested messages tailored to various audiences online and in email in an effort to keep our brands top of mind during the decision making process,” says Deslauriers-Knop.

Journey of improvement

Helping customers complete their reservations quickly and easily is of utmost importance and Carlson Redizor has recognised that some customers need more information before making a final decision. “We’ve worked to make the process streamlined for those who know what they want but also provide easy access to additional information for more inquisitive guests,” explains Deslauriers-Knop. Additionally, the group has just completed a redesign of hotel-level websites. With nearly two-thirds of traffic going directly to property-specific sites, it is critical to help customers find what they need immediately.

In the journey to analysing each and every step of their online visitors, e-commerce teams must adjust to the evolving booking behaviour of guests while also to be distinctive with design and content.

To help them achieve this Carlson partners with an interactive design agency, brand teams and testing experts to blend the best in usability with brand identity and customer response. Cleaner rate displays, comparison pricing grids and promotional calendars, which highlight dates for specific promotions, are just some improvements to the search interface. Additionally, in the third quarter of last year, the group introduced confirmed upgrade bookings on brand.com sites. “These offer customers the ability to choose an upgrade while making their reservation and confirming it before arrival,” explains Deslauriers-Knop.