A new fully-responsive mobile website launched by transfers specialist HolidayTaxis.com has already seen significant early impact in terms of reducing bounce rates and conversions.
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Going mobile responsive is already seeing dividends for Holiday Taxis
A new fully-responsive mobile website launched by transfers specialist HolidayTaxis.com has already seen significant early impact in terms of reducing bounce rates and conversions.
The customer-facing retailer and business-to-business supplier claims it is leading the way in its sector in the UK by becoming fully mobile compatible.
Since going live on Monday, bounce rates have decreased by 12.59% and exit rates are down by 19.76%. The firm said these key performance indicators are showing continual improvement.
The new site, developed in conjunction with CWTdigital and Say Digital, took around three months to create with much of the technical development done in house.
It is available to its direct consumer customers as well as for its 156 white-label partners which have moved across to the new platform.
Holiday Taxis says around 40% of its traffic is now being generated through mobile devices, with tablets proving to be particularly popular.
Due to the more last-minute nature of the product and the relatively low basket value, the firm says embracing mobile was a ‘no-brainer’.
The new site has seen a simpler three-click booking journey implemented for transfers from airports, cruise terminals and rail stations in over 90 countries.
Ian Coyle, sales and marketing direct at HolidayTaxis.com, said: “We are well aware that people are using a variety of devices to access travel websites, and so we wanted to offer a solution that was suitable for everyone.
“In launching a fully responsive site that covers all devices and mobile handsets, we have ensured that every user can benefit from our award-winning service.
“Importantly, we have done extensive testing to ensure that all users’ details are safe and that they can make secure payments either on their PCs, laptops, tablets or via mobile.”
Fleur Hicks-Duarte, head of e-commerce, told Travolution that development of the responsive site had been simpler and more cost-effective than expected.
“Our experience is that, actually, it is the fear of addressing mobile that is the only stumbling block. We thought it would be more difficult, but it was absolutely fine.
“We could have just stuck our heels in the mud, but you have to go with the market and what the market wants.”
Around 60% of the budget for the website refresh was spent, the remainder kept aside for future developments. Holiday Taxis expects to see a return on investment in just two months.
“A responsive mobile site fits nicely with our agile approach to development,” said Hicks-Duarte. “We would now consider ourselves to be a mobile first company and are looking to keep on top of things and continue to make enhancements.”
Hicks-Duarte said HolidayTaxis’ experience is that consumers are doing a lot of research on their mobile devices before making a booking.
So the new mobile site offers all the detailed holiday information available on the desktop site allowing deep linking from search which drives a significant proportion of its traffic.
She said there has been a shift to people converting on mobile, although they may start their search during the day and complete the transaction at home in the evening.
One reason for this is consumers are uncomfortable entering credit card details while on the move although this has been addressed by offering PayPal. The site also offers 3D Secure.
Coyle added: “We always seek to give our customers exactly what they want and, with the new responsive site, we can give them even more of the freedom and peace of mind they expect, on whichever platform they choose.”
