Why Conversion Rate Optimization Services?
In the competitive world of tourism, user experience is crucial for businesses looking to thrive, especially in challenging times. In this case study, we’ll explore how GoCar Tours improved their website’s user experience by leveraging conversion rate optimization (CRO) services, resulting in increased revenue, conversion rates, and user satisfaction, even amidst an extremely rainy Q1.
We’ll also discuss the value of CRO services for other operators looking to optimize their online presence and drive business success.
About GoCar Tours: Background & Challenges
GoCar Tours, an international tour company specializing in the California market, experienced a remarkable surge in popularity as an outdoor urban activity during the pandemic. However, as the travel industry underwent significant changes in the post-pandemic time frame, GoCar Tours faced a decline in year-over-year bookings. The company encountered intensified competition and had to navigate shifting traveler preferences, necessitating improvements to their website’s user experience to maintain a competitive edge.
To compound the challenges, California also faced an atypical rainy spring, which presented an additional hurdle for outdoor tour operators like GoCar Tours. The inclement weather further limited the opportunities for travelers to engage in outdoor activities, impacting the overall demand for their tours.
Recognizing the need to adapt to the changing landscape and overcome these obstacles, GoCar Tours embarked on a journey to revamp their website and optimize the user experience. By investing in strategic enhancements, the company aimed to entice visitors, streamline the booking process, and differentiate itself from the increasing competition in the market.
With a focus on enhancing user experience, GoCar Tours implemented various improvements to their website. They introduced intuitive navigation features that allowed visitors to easily explore their diverse tour options across GoCar Tour’s captivating destinations. Additionally, they incorporated visually appealing design elements and engaging content to captivate users and highlight the unique experiences they offered.
Recognizing the unpredictability of the weather, GoCar Tours developed contingency plans to address the impact of rain on their operations. They implemented flexible booking options, so users could feel confident booking even during inclement weather conditions.
By proactively addressing these challenges and investing in conversion rate optimization strategies, GoCar Tours aimed to regain their market momentum and continue offering exceptional experiences to visitors exploring the beauty of California & their other markets.
The Solution: Leveraging Conversion Rate Optimization Services
To optimize their website’s user experience, GoCar Tours enlisted the help of the CRO experts at TOMIS to analyze their site’s performance and make data-driven recommendations.
The CRO team identified opportunities to align the site’s user experience with major travel industry eCommerce sites such as TripAdvisor and Airbnb for a number of reasons including GoCar’s international service area and the number of tours that they offer.
They implemented location-specific navigation and horizontal scrolling to provide users with a clearer path and reduce decision fatigue. The results of these changes were monitored using Google Analytics, as well as user recordings and heatmaps from HotJar.
Location-Specific Navigation
Through the implementation of location-specific navigation on a multi-location tour operator’s website, we significantly improved the user experience by enabling easier access to location-specific information. By customizing the navigation options based on the user’s interaction with the site, we created a more personalized browsing experience.
When users visit the home page, they encounter a standard navigation bar that encompasses general site sections, ensuring easy navigation to different areas of interest. However, when users explore pages related to San Francisco, such as the location landing page, blogs, or tour listings, the navigation options dynamically adapt to provide them with relevant and specific information about San Francisco’s tour categories and the available types of vehicles.
This strategic approach not only enhances user engagement but also effectively reduces decision fatigue. By presenting users with tailored navigation options, we alleviate the overwhelming feeling of sifting through irrelevant information. As a result, users can quickly find the specific information they need, making their browsing experience more efficient and enjoyable.
Horizontal Scrolling
With this particular update, our goal was to make the mobile experience easier to scan and navigate.
Each of the GoCar locations has a number of tour offerings across various categories. San Francisco, for example, has tours within the city but also tours out to the surrounding regions.
By implementing horizontal scrolling, trips are more easily organized under these categories. This significantly reduced the amount of vertical scrolling and allowed a user to understand the range of categories at each location before dialing into a specific tour.
Each GoCar Tours location has its own set of analytics and results for these tests. However, the overall results across all locations have been positive despite the challenges posed by the rainy weather in their primary markets.
Results of the CRO Initiatives
With each implementation, GoCar Tours saw significant improvements in their website metrics compared to the previous period, even despite the rainy spring season:
With the Location-Specific Navigation in Place:
- Organic eCommerce Conversion Rate increased 123%
- Mobile traffic engagement metrics improved (i.e. Bounce Rate, Pages per Session – for each location)
With Horizontal Scroll in Place:
- Site-wide Revenue for Mobile Users increased 22%.
- Bounce Rate decreased 10% during this reporting period
Comparing the test periods to the previous period, the overall results were:
- Mobile bounce rate decreased by 8%.
- Session duration increased by 33%.
- Transactions increased by 117%.
- Revenue increased by 102%.
- eCommerce conversion rate increased by 129%.
The Value of Conversion Rate Optimization Services for Tour Operators
This case study highlights the benefits of partnering with CRO experts to optimize your website’s performance and user experience. CRO services provide valuable insights and data-driven recommendations that can lead to significant improvements in revenue, conversion rates, and user satisfaction. By leveraging CRO services, operators can:
- Identify areas of their website that need improvement and make data-driven decisions.
- Align their site’s user experience with industry leaders, increasing trust and credibility.
- Continuously test and iterate to stay competitive in the market and adapt to changing consumer preferences.
Lessons Learned
This case study demonstrates the importance of adapting to industry trends and continuously improving the user experience to stay competitive in the market, even during challenging times such as extreme weather conditions. By leveraging conversion rate optimization services, GoCar Tours significantly improved user experience, revenue, and conversion rates across all locations.
The results underscore the value of continuous testing, analysis, and iteration to identify and implement the most effective strategies for enhancing website performance and user experience. By prioritizing user experience and adapting to external factors, businesses like GoCar Tours can optimize their marketing strategies and drive long-term success in the competitive tourism market, regardless of the challenges they may face.
