Stayokay simplifies online booking process

Stayokay hostels are located throughout the Netherlands. An optimal booking process is essential to compete with the many comparison sites. Do you prefer to book an overnight stay via your mobile or computer? What is your priority in the first instance, to see the price or the availability? These questions were answered by our User Experience and optimization team using data and research. For Stayokay, this has led to a greatly improved flow of mobile bookings.

Client

Stayokay

Focus

Mobile conversion improvements

Result

24% more conversion

changes to existing website

Consumers are increasingly using a mobile device to book overnight stays. However, the Stayokay conversion was 65% lower on mobile than on desktop. That conversion rate had to improve. The existing website was adapted and made more responsive. The entire mobile booking module was simplified. When booking a hostel you were offered a variety of options: a private room or a single bed in a shared room, single gender rooms, breakfast or no breakfast. Some options, such as the tourist tax, are different in every municipality.

the improved version

In the new version, only the essentials are displayed, keeping it short and sweet. The subsequent information is limited so that the mobile user is not flooded with too much information. The user experience has been extensively researched and subjected to advance testing That's how we guaranteed that we have provided the right information at the right time and that the end user actually benefits from the intended ease of use improvements.

"As a hostel chain, our guests are progressive and on the go, literally! So our comparatively low conversion rates on mobile didn't just mean less revenue, they meant we weren't actually speaking to our target audience. Clearly we needed to do better."

- Andrew Lott, Stayokay E-commerce Manager

measure and adjust results

During implementation, a measurement plan was drafted to - aided by Google Tag Manager - be able to measure results and make effective adjustments after launch. Conversion immediately increased by 24% (Q1 2019 compared to Q1 2018). To investigate precisely where ease of use could be improved, an eye tracking user test was carried out. Respondents indicated that it would be easier to find their way in the new booking module. The user test has also led to new improvements. According to the testers, Stayokay can show more room information when selecting a room and it's helpful if the unavailable rooms are not displayed. There's enough to do, therefore, we continue to optimize and test continuously to create the ultimate user experience.