How does Hotel Cart Recovery work?
On average 8 out of 10 travel website visitors start the booking process but don’t finish it (according to the data report by SaleCycle). Yet it doesn’t mean 80% of hotel traffic is lost. With Cart Recovery / Page abandonment conversion tools hotels can reconnect with visitors and convert them into guests.
In this post, there is a short breakdown of how Hotel Cart Recovery works.
Key element 1: Preventing Page Abandonment
How?
When leave intent is detected (the visitor moved the cursor to change/close the tab) or when the visitor is inactive on the page for more than 120 seconds, pop up with special message appears.
What?
The widget shows various converting messages. For example,
- Offering a discount
- Reminding about direct booking benefits
- Sending the search to the guest email
- Any other message the hotel wants to share with potential guests
Key element 2: Recovering the cart (unfinished reservations)
How?
- Initiated by the visitor. When the visitor introduced the email and requested the email.
- Sent automatically. When the visitor introduced the email into a personal data form during the booking process, yet they don’t complete the booking. This conversion optimization feature called Email remarketing.
What?
- The email contains information about guest search (hotel, dates, price).
- Also, it might include a special offer for guests for a limited period of time
Why does Cart recovery Work?
There is too much information online and it is hard for anyone to stay focused and go through the booking process without the interruptions.
For example, tabs can be closed by mistake. As well, not everyone will bother to find the hotel page and start over again.
Also, visitors might be distracted by urgent tasks or lose an internet connection.
Cart Recovery techniques help to reconnect with visitors and to drive attention back to the hotel. Common behavioural marketing techniques are used.
- Link in the email directing to a hotel booking engine (cognitive ease and directing visitors).
- Button “Apply my discount” and “Continue booking” (cognitive ease and adding extra value).
- Limited time offer for a special discount (using a scarcity effect and adding extra value).
- Targeted pop-up for different guests’ segments (personalization).
