It’s such an easy mistake to make. To sit in front of your desktop computer or laptop, staring at our website, thinking everything looks good. But have you bothered to check just how it looks (and works) on your mobile?
Well, data suggests that your priority should most definitely be mobile first and desktop second – not the other way around…
The desktop computer has long been the king when it comes to making transactions. After all, who wants to mess around with typing in their credit card details on their phone? What a faff, eh?
Poor old mobiles… always playing second fiddle. Well, not so any more. Data showed that, in previous years, people tended to do their research on a mobile (and tablet) but waited until they were in front of their PC or laptop to make their purchase.
But this year has seen a big change when it comes to mobile bookings. With the advancement of mobile apps and the increasing size of phones (just look at the latest iPhones) it appears people now seem happier to complete a transaction on their phone.
We saw website traffic from mobile phones overtake that from desktop and tablet a few years ago and now, finally, revenue and transactions have also overtaken their PC and laptop counterparts.
We analysed data from over a dozen holiday parks and campsites of varying sizes and locations across the UK in 2018, comparing their revenue, transactions and traffic against the same period in 2017 (namely January 1st – October 16th).
It showed that, on average, mobile traffic was now responsible for 43% of all transactions, comparted to 35% for desktop and 22% for tablet. This represents a 20% swing, with desktop transactions dropping by 10% and mobile transactions increasing over 10%.
Mobile traffic also saw further increases in 2018, jumping by an average of 27% on 2017. As an average across the parks we analysed, mobile traffic accounted for 51% of all website visits, desktop 30% and tablet 19%.
This underlines the importance of having a holiday park website that isn’t just mobile friendly or responsive but one that is designed with the mobile user in mind. It should be built with a mobile first outlook; is it quick and easy to navigate and view (no matter how small the screen), is the content succinct, is it fast?
And the questions shouldn’t end there.
Too often the user experience degrades when people come to the point of actually making a booking. Your online booking steps are a crucial part of the process and are so often overlooked. Are yours (at the very least) mobile friendly? Can you easily check prices, amend your booking, view images, check availability, enter your credit card details? If the answer to any of these is a ‘hmmm’ or, worse, a resounding ‘no’ then it’s time to look at a new online booking system with steps that put the customer first.
Having the correct online booking software for your holiday park is key to success. After all, you spend so much of your time (and money) enticing visitors to your website… so why let the whole process down at the critical moment, when they’re just about to pay?
If you’re looking to upgrade to a website and online booking system that offers the ultimate in user experience, why not talk to the experts at Pitched today. Call us on 01726 418118 or drop us an email by clicking here
