What Makes a Good Offer

Below are some general things to consider in terms of the offer itself, as well as, other considerations which the partner must ensure are considered as part of the landing page and website experience.

• Language
  Language is the most important element to consider. Rather than refer to terms such as advanced purchase rates, a better phrase that is also widely used would be ‘Early booking offer’, ‘Book now. Pay Later.’ or ‘Book now, amend up to 7 days prior to arrival’.
• Cancellation policies/flexibility
  Instill confidence in the consumers’ booking journey through the use of positive language, with terms such as ‘book with confidence’, ‘peace of mind’, ‘amend for free’, ‘free cancellation’ etc. Speak to the consumer in clear, plain language and avoid using jargon.
• Percentage vs. monetary discount
  Percentile discounts often don’t give a great deal of context without a consumer understanding how much something costs e.g. ‘50% off an iPhone’ would be more effective than ‘save £500’. On hotel offers however, where the consumer is unlikely to appreciate the value of the percentage offer, monetary discounts such as ‘Save £500’ would be a stronger message to feature. BA is an example of an airline that is using pricing effectively with ‘from £369’. Immediately, this allows a user to understand if the offer is right for them or not, depending on price sensitivity.
• Lead times
  It’s important to try and communicate the advantages for early booking offer’s, but also where you have late availability. A reminder that there is still time for a trip to be booked at short notice can be encouraging to the consumer’s decision making process.
• Discount codes
  Discount codes are better used on landing pages or within retargeting messaging, after the initial customer touchpoint. Once we know someone has been to the site but perhaps has left due to the price e.g. checkout abandonment, this can encourage them to return.
  
• Hygiene and cleanliness
  Since Covid-19, hygiene and cleanliness are increasingly important factors to consider as part of the overall proposition of the partner. The landing page should reassure users that they have taken serious steps towards this, e.g. wide-open spaces around the hotel, cleanliness standards, customer reviews/ratings, and any other measures and efforts that have been put in place. Unless they have won awards or have excellent ratings on TripAdvisor or other review sites, it should not be featured in the offer coupon.
  
• Reviews and ratings
  Closely monitor customer reviews across all review sites, from TripAdvisor to Booking.com through to Facebook and Google, and proactively work to improve your ratings by working with the teams to be knowledgeable about areas for improvement. Record these to see the trends so you can use them in your marketing and team feedback opportunities.

If you require any support or guidance on creating offers, please email [email protected].