INTELLIGENT ITINERARIES

7 STEPS TO INCREASE YOUR

ONLINE CONVERSIONS
With JESS PERRY from TOURISMTIGER
ABOUT JESS & TT
● From London, UK
● Working with TourismTiger since 2016
● Started as a Content Coordinator
● Now Head of Projects
● #1 in the world for tour & activity
websites
 WHY ARE WE HERE TODAY?

76% of people nominate: “the website makes it easy to find what

I want” as the most important factor in the design of a new
website.

Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/14953/what-do-76-of-consumers-want-from-your-website-new-data.aspx
 DISCLAIMER:
WE ARE FOCUSING UNIQUELY ON ON-PAGE WEBSITE WORK TODAY.

THIS WEBINAR WILL NOT GO INTO DETAIL IN HOW TO GET TRACTION

ON YOUR WEBSITE. THIS WARRANTS ANOTHER WEBINAR SERIES IN ITS
OWN RIGHT, BUT IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR SOME GREAT TIPS TO GET
STARTED CHECK OUT ANDY MOTT’S WEBINAR FROM THE
GROWVEMBER SERIES.
WHAT WE’LL LOOK AT TODAY
7 STEPS
1. Pricing
2. Highlights
3. Differentiation
4. Third-party reviews
5. Clarity
6. Visual content
7. Booking process
STEP 1: SHOW YOUR PRICING LOUD & PROUD

● Rather than sending someone on a wild goose chase, make the pricing available
with as few clicks as possible.
● Expedia found that 75% of people find booking holiday travel as emotionally
draining as a bad day at work or as stressful as a fight with your partner - help to
give them a break and make it easier.
● Your pricing is what it is for a reason, be proud of it.
● User will generally come to your site with a rough budget in mind - let’s not
waste their time, nor yours!
● Keeping secrets/ambiguous language around pricing = frustration + potential
lost bookings.
But Jess, “I can’t give an exact price…”

● Custom/bespoke experiences:
some indication of price is
necessary from the start

● Ballpark figure
But Jess, “I can’t give an exact price”
part II
● “There are too many variables in my pricing structure… it’s better they contact
me”. Often there’s a clear way to present this information which doesn’t require
the user to get in touch.
= more free time for you + Peek can handle variable changes
BONUS TIP: PRICING IN BOOKING BUTTONS

● Competitive rates one of your major selling

points? Remind the user of the price in the
book now button!
STEP 1: PRICING SUMMARY

● Be upfront about it
● Have the information readily
available
● Even more benefits:
credibility, trust, and ability to
run online promotions!
STEP 2: USE HIGHLIGHTS & DIGESTIBLE
CHUNKS
● We are becoming less and less patient.
● 96% of Americans will knowingly consume extremely hot food or drink that burns
their mouth due to lack of patience.
● Get your users the information they want quickly and easily… don’t make it a taxing
process for them to find information that’s going to impact whether or not they book.
● Cash-rich, time-poor users do not need to read through large chunks of text to
understand the experience - they need a list of places/highlights of the tour to
ensure they are booking the right experience.
SHOWCASE: LA HIGHLIGHTS TOUR
According to one study, visitors will only read about 20% of the text on the average page.
SHOWCASE: MAIKA TOURS (VIETNAM)

‘Bucket list’ items

More info available IF
wanted
STEP 2: HIGHLIGHTS SUMMARY
● Bitesize chunks
● Highlights apparent so that anxieties/questions are answered
● Pulling out the value proposition
STEP 3: DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN YOUR TOURS
Guide users get from landing/home pages to the RIGHT activity for them = less time of
theirs trying to understand the differences = increased chance of finding what they want!

EXAMPLE: JAPAN HALAL

DAY TOURS - HOME PAGE
SHOWCASE: COLOMBIA TRAVEL OPERATOR
Logistical factors - use the landing page to help the user find the tour that fits in
with their plans.

Most of Julio’s day tour bookings come from clients who are already in Colombia -
important because they are looking for an activity within the next few days to fit in
with pre-existing plans.
STEP 3: DISTINCTIONS ON TOUR PAGES
Types of factors that typically impact whether a tour is suitable for the
user:
● Level of experience
● Duration
● Physical demands
● Private vs group
● Route taken
● Suitable for kids
ACTIVE EXAMPLE: FAR FLUNG OUTDOOR
CENTER
REDIRECTING THE USER
STEP 3: MAKING THE DISTINCTION SUMMARY

● Logistics: are people booking your tours with little time before the
activity. Do departure times/available days impact their decision?
● Experience level: does it vary by tour? Let the user know before
they’ve spent time reading about a tour that won’t work for them and
their group.
STEP 4: THIRD-PARTY REVIEWS & THEIR
PLACEMENT
WHY ARE REVIEWS IMPORTANT:
● A study from BrightLocal found that 49% of consumers need at least a
four-star rating before they choose to use a business.
● 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal
recommendations.

WHY ARE THEY GOOD:

● Show credibility - you’re a fully functioning, established business
● SEO
STRATEGIC SELECTION OF
REVIEWS:
85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as
personal recommendations.
TRIPADVISOR WIDGETS

● Platform has over 705 million reviews

○ & 115 million traveller photos
● Some experts claim that TA shapes tourism
industry of whole nations
● Credibly demonstrating your excellence.
● Ease anxieties - other people have loved it, it
must be great, right?
STEP 4 IN A NUTSHELL
● Use your reviews to your advantage - address anxieties that users
might have.
● Place reviews specific to the activity on the relevant tour/itinerary
page.
● Link to third party sites to show credibility and legitimacy.
 STEP 5: BE CLEAR ON PARTICIPATION
REQUIREMENTS
● Explicitly answer the questions that you often get RE participation requirements,
start times and other basic details - don’t complicate your sales process, causing
users to look for competitors.

COMMON PARTICIPATION QUESTIONS:

● Can I bring my children?
● Am I within the weight limits?
● How many people can do this activity at one time?
SHOWCASE: SIERRA WHITEWATER RAFTING

TRIP DETAILS are useful to answer all the basic questions a user might have,
including participation requirements.
SHOWCASE: GHOST TOURS WITH TOUR GUYS

HEADLINE DETAILS straight under the title help to emphasise important logistical
details - easily accessible to the user
STEP 5 IN A NUTSHELL

● Be sure to display crucial information that impacts whether or not

someone can do the activity.
● Think about things such as experience level, minimum/maximum
weight requirements.
STEP 6: USE STRATEGIC PHOTOS TO SHOW
THE EXPERIENCE

● People remember up to 80% of what they see, compared to only about 20% of
what they read.
● Visual content communicates rapidly and directly with the user.
● Instagram photos with people in get up to 30% more engagement.
● You’re not telling them how much of a great time they are going to have on your
tours, you’re SHOWING them.
PLACEMENT OF VISUAL CONTENT

BOOKING.COM TRIPADVISOR
IMAGE STRATEGY
WHAT TO SHOW:
● What is to be experienced (the destination, etc)
● Who is experiencing it: people having fun on the experience. Ideal is to have the target
market in the photos, not perfect looking models.
● Who is delivering it
CHARACTERISTICS:
● Authentic (some group posing is ok but it’s better to show people having fun and
really enjoying their time)
● High quality (good camera, lighting)
● Good weather
USE PHOTOS TO EASE ANXIETIES AND ANSWER POTENTIAL QUESTIONS
SEE THE STRATEGY IN ACTION: WALK 91

TARGET MARKET: relatively

even split gender-wise, 50+
CONCERNS: too old/too
unfit/don’t have necessary
equipment
WHAT WE SEE: 50+,
standard branded sports top,
gentle terrain, no “hiker’s
gear”
SEE THE STRATEGY IN ACTION: WALK 91

WHAT WE SEE: no
awkward posing,
genuine smiles, some
walking poles, beautiful
scenery
THE SMILE APPEAL
The smile is the dominant facial expression on a human model in visual marketing… why?
Because it works. (Berg, Soderlund and Lindstrom)
Smiling faces in ads elicit more consumer joy and greater product liking.
SMILES IN ACTION: NATIONAL PARK TOURZ
1. Showing you what the experience is (the best friend’s animal tour), 2. Who is
the typical clientele (women of all ages) and 3. Just how much fun they are
having on the tour!
STEP 6 SUMMARY: YOUR VISUAL CONTENT IS DIRECTLY
IMPACTING YOUR SALES

REMEMBER:
● Show the typical clientele
● Address anxieties
● Show the experience
● A smile goes a long way!
● Get those galleries higher up on your pages!

WE NEED YOU TO USE GOOD PHOTOS

STEP 7: PLACEMENT OF BOOKING
BUTTONS
● 75% of people who actually make a booking on your
website are at least second time visitors
● Remember, we’re looking to make the user’s journey
easy and not as “emotionally draining” as a bad day at
work

HIGH-CONVERSION SPOTS: SIDEBARS (MOBILE)

HIGH-CONVERSION SPOTS: SIDEBARS
 ‘BOOK NOW’ BUTTONS IN MENUS
No matter where the user ends up, the ‘book now’ button is NEVER out of sight.
‘BOOK NOW’ BUTTONS ON HOME/LANDING PAGES

This is Asia - Old

Site
TOURISMTIGER’S VERSION
STEP 7: ‘BOOK NOW’ BUTTONS SUMMARY

● No online conversion strategy will work if your book now buttons are
hard to find/don’t exist
● Consider placing book now buttons not only on your tour pages, but
also in your menu and your home/landing pages.
● Peek offer an awesome matrix feature which enables the user to see
all your offerings should they click from menu/home/general places
● Use eye-catching colours for your book now buttons so users can’t
miss them!
SUMMARY
INTELLIGENT ITINERARIES: 7 STEPS TO INCREASING CONVERSIONS ONLINE

1. Give pricing information

2. Use highlights/bucket list items to make the decision easier
3. Compare your tours - make the important distinctions
4. Use credible third-party reviews.. And place them carefully!
5. Give clarity on basic details
6. Use awesome visual content to SHOW what you’re selling… and to whom!
7. Make the booking process easy with book now buttons
 THANKS FOR WATCHING!

QUESTIONS
Please send any questions that don’t get answered today to
jessica@tourismtiger.com.