If you've ever planned a summer vacation abroad, you know how stressful it can be. Bookings for flights and accommodations can be summed up quickly, and booking companies know how to book quickly without thinking. Mark Baldwin Digital CEO, Baldwin, shared six popular scam marketing strategies that allow you to spend more than you need.
One of the most common tricks used on hotel sites is to create false rarity. Alerts about “Only 3 rooms remain at this price” or “12 people looking at this hotel right now” are designed to cause fear of missing out. Mark said: “Though these notices may be technically true, they are often misleading.
“Perhaps there are only two rooms left at that particular price, but there are plenty of similar rooms, or 12 people have glanced at the list within the last 24 hours.
To avoid this common trick, search for the same hotel on multiple booking sites. You often find similar or better rates elsewhere without any artificial shortages.
Similarly, reservation sites often have countdowns next to special offers or contracts, creating a sense of urgency. But Matt says these are rarely accurate.
“Most of these so-called limited-time transactions are not actually limited,” Baldwin reveals. “They are programmed to reset or display different time frames to different users.”
Screenshot the deal and then go back and check it out in a day or so to skip the pressure. In most cases, the exact offer is still strong days. Another way to avoid this is to use Incognito Windows to track transactions and compare prices without cookies.
The third way a website can try to make more money is to use dynamic pricing. If you are constantly searching for the same destination, travel sites will frequently raise prices.
Matt said: “Travel sites often use cookies to track interests and adjust prices based on their online behavior.”
This tactic is based on increased attachment to invested time and specific travel, and is more likely to accept a higher price rather than starting your search from scratch.
One way to avoid this is to use a secret site for browsing and not tracked by cookies. Better yet, use a VPN to mask the location. This is because prices may vary depending on where you book.
Often, websites often get more money from you by pre-selecting optional extras and automatically adding them to the totals. Travel insurance, seat selection, priority boarding, etc. are all general additions
Matt said: “We know that most consumers don't remove these boxes,” explains Baldwin. “This is called the 'default effect'. They tend to stick to pre-selected options. These add-ons can increase the initial price by 15-30%. ”
Please carefully read the totals at checkout and make sure you select any add-ons you haven't selected.
Like so many things, the old phrase “too good” should be kept in mind when booking flights and accommodations.
Matt said: “Budget Aviation has pioneered this technique by promoting barebone prices that do not include basics such as checked luggage and seat selection.
To avoid paying extras, always click on the final checkout page on multiple sites and compare prices from there.
Don't be victimized by another trick – misleading price comparisons.
Travel sites love to show you how much you “save” you are comparing to some higher prices, but these may not be accurate.
Matt said:
“Or maybe they compare standard rooms to deluxe rooms. They look like they're actually doing business when they're looking at a variety of products.”
To avoid this trick, make sure you focus on the actual price rather than the discount you charged.
