In 2023, both user data and feedback were showing that there was significant drop-off at checkout and users were abandoning their carts
We narrowed the problem down to a few trends that were contributing to this drop-off: lengthy process, lack of trust, and high price.
To remedy these, we consolidated the checkout flow, allowed users to split their payments, and introduced trust components (such as the ability to add trip insurance), increasing checkout completion by ~30%.
The legacy checkout flow began with the user having to log in or create an account. This requirement, with all of its security steps such as CAPTCHA and 2-FA, accounted for 5 additional steps.
By allowing the user to check out as a guest and create an account after booking, we reduced significant friction and drop-off.
Timeshare resorts require that the guest information on the reservation exactly match their ID at check-in. Because KOALA is the intermediary between the guest and host, we need to collect this information.
Though it’s vital to collect the “Primary Guest’s” information (if the Primary Guest is not present at check-in, nobody can check in), many bookers are not necessarily sure who that person in their party will be when they are booking.
Removing this step and collecting those details post-booking confirmation reduced both the effort it takes for a booker to complete booking, and the additional work on the internal team’s end to update a booker’s “Primary Guest” when their plans changed.
By the end of this exercise, we:
Reduced the total number of steps from nine to two
Added trust features such as our Trustpilot score, host information, and education to reassure new users who were abandoning cart for reasons pertaining to distrust
Allowed users to split their payment to address the feedback that prices were too high
Introduced a cancellation policy for users that wanted an added level of security for their purchase
