Programme participants can expect 15% bookings’ growth on average, with some pilot participants experiencing growth beyond 200%. Designed with transparency at its core, the new programme allows operators to make data-driven decisions to increase visibility and drive business.
LONDON, U.K. – Viator, a leading global marketplace for experiences, announces the worldwide launch of Viator Accelerate. Programme participants can expect an average of 15% bookings growth, with many pilot participants experiencing growth beyond 200%.
In exchange for raising commission above the minimum rate by as little as one percent, the Accelerate programme allows eligible operators to reach a larger audience through highly-contextual, highly-targeted advertising placements on Viator.
“Our industry has seen extraordinary growth since the mid-2010s. Where travellers once had two or three options for a cooking class, or three or four for a sunset cruise, they now have ten, twenty, or maybe even thirty choices”, commented Ben Drew, president, Viator.
“Viator Accelerate exists to help operators stand out from the crowd – on their terms, under their control and where it matters. It was built with operator feedback at its foundation.”
The programme:
- Allows operators to reach more travelers. In exchange for raising the commission above the minimum rate by as little as one percent, eligible operators receive more exposure on Viator.
- Delivers highly contextual ads to a highly targeted audience. Display ads show the participating product to travellers shopping for similar, nearby experiences. The ads are designed to deliver key decision-making information quickly – an image, product name, rating and price.
- Meaningfully grows bookings. Programme participants initially can expect bookings to be 15% higher than they would be without Accelerate – and the benefits may become deeper over time. Our marketing algorithms, including those which determine our sort order, tend to award highly-booked products with greater visibility. This, in turn, delivers even more exposure and bookings.
- It enables data-based decision making. Our ‘Visibility Score’ tool helps an operator determine the value of Viator Accelerate; it measures a product’s current visibility relative to its competition on Viator, and how participation can impact this. The programme’s ongoing impact is trackable through the ‘Viator Accelerate Insights’ dashboard, which shares key metrics including visibility, bookings and page views versus the competition.
Immediate impact
Early adopters of the programme talked about Viator Accelerate as an effective, affordable means of gaining valuable exposure:
“We have seen a terrific uptick in sales since joining the Viator Accelerate programme. In addition the data that we now have access to will be invaluable in monitoring our competitiveness. I am very encouraged with this new development!” says Phil Coulter, Premium Tours, London.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
