VEGAS.com Optimizes Mobile Experience with SiteSpect A/B Testing and Targeting

December 8, 2014

Mobile Web Optimization Enables VEGAS.com to Boost Conversions and Page Views and Reduce Bounce Rates

Mobile users accessing the web are on the rise, as VEGAS.com, the largest city destination travel website in the world, recently determined. With 7% of its overall traffic already coming from mobile users, and growing each month, the company compared mobile with desktop behavior and discovered that mobile was significantly underperforming. VEGAS.com sought to determine whether showing mobile users content that was specifically tailored for mobile devices would improve the user experience, make the site stickier, and ultimately increase conversion rates.

Having long used SiteSpect’s multivariate testing and behavioral targeting technology to optimize its web content, VEGAS.com leveraged SiteSpect’s new mobile optimization functionality to target mobile users and test a set of mobile-optimized site content. (See companion news release titled “Web Optimization Firm SiteSpect Dials Up Major Enhancements in Mobile Targeting Capabilities,” also released by SiteSpect today.)

By running a controlled A/B test and measuring a variety of key user behavioral metrics, VEGAS.com discovered that their mobile users do indeed benefit from a web experience tailored specifically around mobile device capabilities. Perhaps more importantly, VEGAS.com was able to quantify how the mobile-optimized content influenced user behavior, and in doing so, to predict the ROI of a larger-scope build out of mobile content. The success of the test is now enabling VEGAS.com to make informed business decisions going forward about their investments in mobile content development.

In their A/B test, VEGAS.com’s mobile content outperformed regular non-mobile content across a number of key metrics. Some of the notable improvements that VEGAS.com measured were:

  • 22% reduction in bounce rate
  • 16% increase in page views
  • 14% increase in hotel searches
  • Double-digit lift in conversion rate

“We’re now seeing mobile users spending significantly more time on the site,” said Mike Brown, Vice President of Optimization at VEGAS.com. “They’re not as likely to abandon, and users are going to the big product category pages and booking more often. The mobile testing and targeting capabilities we’re leveraging from SiteSpect are helping us redefine and prioritize the way we invest in the mobile channel so that we can deliver the best, most compelling experience to our users.”

How VEGAS.com Optimized Its Site for Mobile

Brown and his team created a mobile-friendly version of VEGAS.com based around the requirement that it had to display cleanly on iPhone and Android devices, the top mobile operating systems used by the site’s audience. To conduct a low-cost, low-risk test, VEGAS.com created mobile-specific versions only for its highest-traffic content pages, including the homepage, category pages that list shows and tours, and its hotel booking search engine.

They then ran an A/B test campaign using SiteSpect, targeting only mobile users. Half of the mobile users were selected at random to receive the mobile-specific test pages, while the other half saw the original desktop-oriented site. Brown’s team used SiteSpect to deliver the mobile test pages and measure dozens of performance metrics to find out exactly how the site’s two versions influenced mobile users’ behavior.

“Creating campaigns with SiteSpect is very efficient, and the mobile targeting capability made this test very easy to implement,” said Brown. “The creative team constructed several mobile content templates and used SiteSpect to deliver VEGAS.com’s dynamic content through those templates for testing. The whole process took just under two weeks to go from drawing board to live testing, then approximately six weeks to get conclusive results.”

Looking Ahead to More Mobile Campaigns

Because the initial mobile targeting campaign proved so successful, VEGAS.com is continuing to ramp up its mobile optimization efforts by testing all its site’s content, including additional e-commerce elements such as the ones used to book trips and buy tickets. Brown’s team expects these upcoming rounds of mobile-targeted optimization to boost conversion rates even more dramatically.

About VEGAS.com

VEGAS.com is the largest city destination travel website in the world with extensive, constantly updated information and a full range of travel products including hotel rooms, air-hotel packages, show tickets, tours and golf. A state-of-the-art contact center provides customer support, expert information and sales 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to complement the information on www.VEGAS.com and espanol.VEGAS.com. VEGAS.com, through its Casino Travel & Tours unit, operates retail and concierge desks at more than 50 locations including the Palms, Paris, Harrah’s, Bally’s, Excalibur, New York-New York, Luxor and more. The company also offers a variety of excursions including city tours, the Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. VEGAS.com is a member of the Greenspun Family of Companies, privately owned and operating in Southern Nevada for more than 60 years.

About SiteSpect, Inc.

SiteSpect provides the industry’s only non-intrusive multivariate testing and behavioral targeting solution, enabling web marketers to optimize their websites across any browser, including any mobile device. With SiteSpect, marketers enjoy unsurpassed speed and flexibility for optimizing all aspects of their site, without the need for ongoing IT involvement. SiteSpect’s patent-pending technology and professional services are used by some of the world’s leading online businesses, including Wal-Mart, Staples, Mozilla, Newegg, JCPenney, MTV, Cabela’s, Overstock.com, VEGAS.com, iStockphoto, and Unitrin Insurance. For more information, visit www.SiteSpect.com or call 617-859-1900.

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