Introduction.
Booking abandonment, also known as 'booking recovery' or 'reservation abandonment,' occurs when a website visitor initiates but does not complete the booking process.
This phenomenon represents a significant challenge for caravan parks that accept online bookings.
The hospitality industry faces one of the highest booking abandonment rates of any sector – an astonishing 85% according to a recent study.
Challenge.
Nestled in the picturesque town of Shrewsbury, Shropshire, Love2Stay Resort stands out as a premier destination for caravan and glamping enthusiasts, boasting expansive touring pitches and luxurious glamping lodges.
The resort was confronting significant lost revenue due to booking abandonment, prompting the enlistment of Built For Now's expertise to devise effective recovery tactics.
Despite allocating a substantial portion of their marketing budget towards conversion rate optimisation and boosting website traffic, Love2Stay's marketing team noticed a notable number of visitors exiting the website before finalising their bookings.
Solution.
Love2Stay's booking system lacked a booking abandonment tool, prompting us to integrate marketing automation software.
This integration provided features such as extensive booking engine integration, dynamic data insertion for maximising personalisation, and conditional content blocks to include details about the dates and accommodation types guests were interested in.
Implementation.
Previously, Love2Stay captured guest details at the final stage of booking.
We optimised this process by collecting email addresses early on.
This proactive change ensured that, should a booking not be completed, we have the necessary contact information to re-engage with the guest and assist them in finalising their booking.
Key Features Include
We developed a series of highly personalised emails, customised based on the guests' booking details.
These emails adhered to a strict schedule and were governed by precise rules, ensuring they were sent only if the selected dates remained available:
- Email #1 - Sent 20-30 minutes after abandonment.
- Email #2 - Sent 1-2 days after abandonment.
- Email #3 - Sent 2-4 days after abandonment.
- Email #4 - Sent 7 days after abandonment.
Each email contained specific booking data:
- Park Name
- Room/Pitch Image
- Booking Total
- Arrival Date
- Departure Date
- Number of Nights
- Special Offers
Email #1
Email #2
Email #3
Guests were directed to a personalised landing page to finalise their booking with each email.
Impact.
In the first 12 months after implementing the booking abandonment tool, Love2Stay experienced a significant increase in direct bookings.
The campaign transformed just under 2000 abandoned cart leads, converting 899 into direct bookings and generating over £89,900 in incremental revenue.
In addition to increased conversion rates and sales, Love2Stay significantly grew their contact database, adding four times the usual number of leads.
Collecting prospective guests' preferences allowed for more personalised lifecycle emails, driving higher engagement and ultimately, future revenue.
"Once it was set up, Shopping Cart Abandonment worked in the background, driving direct bookings."
Chris Skitt, Love2Stay Park Manager