Win Report: How an appeal to emotion doubled conversions

Win Reports help you grow your business by showing our methodology at work. Each Win Report showcases a real-world test, sharing the research, insights, and techniques that led to the win.

In the next 3 minutes, we’ll show you how leading with emotion doubled conversions for a travel booking platform.

Two wireframes side by side. The control on the left, showing a longer form. The winning variation on the right showing a more prominent image and shorter form.

Our client operates a large online marketplace for tours, activities, and vacation packages, connecting travelers with curated experiences across one of the world’s most spectacular destinations. As a market leader operating in a highly competitive space, they have asked to remain anonymous.

Research: When form obstructs feeling

Previous tests for this client (and others) had shown that video content resonated strongly with visitors. This makes sense. We don’t start dreaming about an exotic holiday because of a search box on a web page. Booking a vacation is an emotional decision. We start with a picture, a story, or a moment of wonder.

And yet, when visitors arrived at the site via mobile, the content was dominated by a search form that asked for location, traveler count, and dates—all before the visitor had been inspired to care.

When our research team tested the client’s homepage against key competitors, user testers described it as “boring,” “basic,” and “unengaging.” The comment below neatly encapsulates a lot of this feedback:

“I did not care for the site, it felt basic and boring with no images to pull me in.”

The irony was that the client had truly stunning destination imagery. What if we tested its persuasive power at the start of the funnel?

The original page (or control)

Here’s an illustration of the original page showing the first step of the booking process.

The tested page (or variation)

For the variation, we wanted to highlight some of the video content that had won before. To do that, we redesigned the search form, reducing the first step to one field.

The winning variation on the right showing a more prominent image and shorter form.

Because the search form was now less prominent, we also added an animated text cursor inside the field to draw attention and invite interaction. Finally, we included a helpful prompt beneath the “Search Now” button for visitors who weren’t sure where to start.

Result: Bookings increased by 103%

During the test, we observed a 103% increase in bookings.

By giving the destination the spotlight, the variation turned twice as many browsers into bookers.

The principle extends beyond travel. Any time a form or configurator dominates the first screen—whether it’s a property site, a SaaS product, or an e-commerce store, you may be asking visitors to work before you’ve given them a reason to care.

For more on creating engaging funnels, see our article on the Safe Step Principle.

What next?

As usual, we added the test to our proprietary Wins Database, then looked for ways to apply its lessons to other parts of the client’s business and then to other clients.

If you want us to grow your profits—quickly and efficiently—check if you qualify for a free one-on-one strategy session with one of our CRO consultants.

We’ll only work with you if we believe we can get amazing results together. Our success has come entirely from positive word of mouth, and we plan to keep it that way.

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