5 Marketing Psychology Hacks To Increase Direct Bookings

Big hotel chains and OTAs use all kinds of tricks to get travelers to book. And they work. Rather than reinventing the wheel for our own websites, why not use the same tricks to drive our own direct bookings?

Here is a short and sweet article offering 5 Marketing Psychology Hacks To Increase Direct Bookings with practical examples you can use for your website.

To summarize the already clear points:

1) Social proof
“A concept that many people are probably already familiar with, social proof demonstrates that people view behavior correct if other people are doing it.”

Examples:

• Showcase how many people are currently viewing a particular page (Ex: 7 people currently viewing this room)
• Showcase how many people have already booked a particular room (Ex: 30 people have booked this room for January)
• Show guest testimonials throughout booking process (Ex: The staff was incredible and the room was immaculate – highly recommend!)

2) Scarcity
“The concept of scarcity simply states that humans consider a scarce object more valuable than one which is abundant. The rarer the opportunity or product, the more valuable it is. This is basic supply and demand and this condition has placed itself permanently in the minds of consumers.”

Examples:

• Limited inventory → “Only 2 rooms left!”
• Limited time offer → “Only 12 hours left for reduced rates!”

3) Urgency
“Urgent situations cause us to suspend deliberate thought and to act quickly. Creating a sense of urgency will cut through cognitive friction and reduce the amount of time people spend considering alternatives – which is exactly what we want to do when encouraging travel shoppers to move through the conversion funnel.”

Examples:

• Countdown Timers → “Only 2 days left” of a sale; “Rate guaranteed for 10 minutes”
• “Popular travel dates”
• “These dates sold out last year”

4) Anchoring
“Anchoring describes the common human tendency to rely too heavily (or “anchor”) on one trait or piece of information when making decisions – in this case, price.”

Examples:

• “Regular rate” – slashed; lower rate below
• Packages (include breakfast, etc. for slightly higher – or even the same rate)

5) Trust & Risk Mitigation
“People want to trust your brand, trust that they are making the right choice, and trust that they are getting the best deal possible. Be sure to incorporate messaging throughout your booking process that will eliminate any doubts in the consumer’s mind they might have about completing a booking with your property.”

Examples:

• Free cancellation
• No deposit required
• Free refunds
• Secure booking
• Upsell opportunity → Travel insurance/vacation protection plan