Some of the numbers coming in are a bit scary…….like my weight gain as tracked on my new Wii Fit. It measured me at a stout ‘overweight’ to start my 2009 training. My wife and kids have found this to be quite amusing – some of you are aware of my Ironman triathlon racing and can probably also see the humor in this.
Numbers can be deceiving. As I have posted before, the media is having a grand time with the economic news and their doomsday predictions. Remember, they only sell papers and get viewers based on sensational numbers in the negative or the positive. They have to be sensational.
The 2008 Holiday retail numbers for the brick & mortar stores are definitely dismal. Sales are down in the 10-15% range across the various big stores like Target, Walmart, and Macy’s. They are down even further in the luxury category, to the tune of 15-25% for stores such as Nordstrom and Tiffany’s. No question this is bad news. Got it.
But, Amazon.com has reported another record Holiday shopping season. Amazon is UP 17%. Why? I cannot say for certain, but based on what I have read and discussed with experts in the online retail business, it is based on the ease of shopping. That includes the selection, checkout, delivery, and service. All these have been communicated to customers through effective marketing efforts.
What can you learn for your vacation home rental business from Amazon? Look carefully at what differentiates Amazon from other retailers.
Amazon provides a seamless and complete online shopping experience.
- Selection is almost limitless – this is difficult to accomplish for vacation rentals, but you can do much through your descriptions and marketing of properties to provide variety
- Checkout is simple – make it a seamless and easy process that inspires confidence to your guests
- Delivery is reliable – ensure that you follow up on all actions taken by prospects and guests
- Service is great – share the love, and make sure that everyone interacting with your guests shares the love
Certainly there are many more lessons to be learned from Amazon, but these are a couple that are at the top of the list. Look to the winners in the current economy for lessons on how to get more ‘heads in beds’ and how to find the marketing messages that will inspire guests.
Happy Holidays. On a closing note, here is a picture of me taking my two older kids on some snow-rafting.
Rafting.....in the snow in Idaho.
Ralf VonSosen
www.LiveRez.com
www.LiveRez.com
Tags: online vacation booking, online vacation rentals, vacation home rental, Vacation Marketing, vacation rental software. vacation marketing