Companies looking to boost revenue can either attract more visitors to their websites, or convince more of them to stick around and buy. The first option isn’t looking great. Tougher privacy controls, particularly on Apple smartphones, have made online advertising more difficult to target.
That helps explain why overall page views at 250 global retail brand websites tracked by Kibo are down more than 7 per cent year on year. In continental Europe the drop is double that. But that strategy is murder on margins. Lasting gains are more likely to come from revamping the online experience. Hilton is having good success with putting icons at the top of its website that allow customers to search quickly for options such as pet-friendly hotels or connecting rooms.
One of the many reasons Amazon was such an ecommerce juggernaut in the 2000s was its “One-Click” buying option, which was under patent protection until 2017. A regular customer won’t be asked repeatedly to sign up for package tracking or marketing emails. But one who often uses rental cars will see a selection when they buy an airline ticket.