Ever since the internet became a commonplace part of life in the 1990s, the role of e-commerce has grown exponentially, in the hospitality industry as much as elsewhere. Being able to sell online has become ever more important, and those who have been ineffective have suffered as a result.
The trends are only going to go in one direction. There may be older people who prefer to ring up to make bookings instead, but these are. For the most part, a generation that grew up without the web and have not necessarily adjusted to it. However, even this group cannot be taken for granted as there are many silver surfers who find the convenience very attractive at a time when taking it easy is a key priority in life. At the other end of the scale, the Millennial generation will seldom book any other way. For all these reasons, if your online booking numbers are not as high as you hoped, this is clearly cause for concern. If the situation persists, it will be seriously bad news, but the good news is that once the causes are identified, it should be eminently rectifiable.
Mobile optimisation
Some problems are very specifically technological. Writing for Ehotelier, eMarketing Associates blogger Nigel Rodgers recently noted that around 90 per cent of American adults own a smartphone, according to research by the Pew Centre. It can safely be assumed that, even if the figure s not so high elsewhere, it is substantial and rising. Moreover, the research projected that by 2018, 49.4 million people in the US will be making hotel bookings via their phones. All that means every hotel website should be mobile-friendly, in order to enable people to book via their phones. But many are not, so if this is true for your hotel, this will be one reason why bookings are lower than you would hope for. Resolve it by getting the techies in to make your site fit for phones.
Social Media
Another area where many sites fail is a lack of a social media presence. The top six sites have over 5.4 million accounts between them, with 1.5 billion on Facebook alone, so there is a great opportunity to communicate with a large audience and show off what you have to offer, particularly with regular news, offers and attractive photos. By neglecting to do so, you are failing to engage with a medium that makes up a large part of many people’s web usage. For such potential customers the need is for you to go to them, not vice-versa. Moreover, that is exactly what your rivals will be doing, so if you lack a social media profile, make sure you resolve this, or Facebook and Twitter users will continue to book with another hotel down the road.
Badly-written copy
You may have a mobile-optimised site and a Facebook profile, but somehow things are still going badly. The answer may simply lie in the standard of writing. There is no doubt poor copy can let you down. Frequent errors in punctuation and spelling or unclear phrasing can lead to failures to convey information and looks unprofessional. Also, using pretentious phrases and exaggeration can appear arrogant and less than honest. The best copy does not just need to obey the rules of spelling and grammar, but speak simply and relevantly to the needs of your target audience. If you feel you do not have the skills to produce this in-house, consider outsourcing the job to an agency.
Reviews matter
Telling a good story is important, but it is more effective when backed up by positive testimonies by customers. Every effective site is able to quote reviews from customers who can say what a great time they had, and why they will definitely be back. Indeed, in a generation when TripAdvisor can make or break a hotel, good reviews generate goodwill – and sales – through word-of-mouth. For this reason, make reviews easy to see, perhaps with a couple of positive ones on your front page, or even with a clickable icon that people can use to access them.
Poor functionality
Apart from anything else, your site may itself be poor. Difficulties in navigation can swiftly put people off. The Millennial generation wants to be able to access information swiftly and easily and this can only be achieved if the home page is clear and well laid out, Indeed, a sidebar with a menu can be a simple but effective way of doing this. Other common problems to avoid include a splash page, which auto-plays music or a video. This can put people off, especially those already listening to tunes as they log on. However, it is not just the set up but the functionality that matters too. For instance, if a page is slow to load an impatient customer will give up and go elsewhere, while a slow or complex booking system will have the same effect.
The last of these is the worst failing of all, as this means putting off those who have otherwise been persuaded to become your guest.
