Win Report: One word, 38% more bookings
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.
Our client operates one of the largest online travel marketplaces in its region, connecting visitors with tours, activities, flights, hotels, and vacation packages. Millions of travelers use the platform each year to plan trips to one of the world’s most spectacular destinations. The client has asked to remain anonymous.
Research: Bridging the intention‑action gap
When visitors arrived on our client’s website, they were often in a browsing mindset—exploring, dreaming, and gathering ideas. In the travel industry (and many others), this “inspiration phase” is a high‑traffic but low‑conversion zone.
The gap between liking the idea of a trip and actually booking one can be surprisingly wide. The difference is what behavioral scientists call an intention‑action gap (or value‑action gap). These occur when a person has a goal but fails to take the necessary first step.
For companies like our client, these gaps were often caused by:
- Choice paralysis: The sheer volume of travel options creates a “freeze” response.
- Temporal discounting: The brain prioritizes the comfort of the present (browsing) over the effort of real planning.
The desire is there, but without a nudge toward the present, visitors drift into a “later” that never arrives. The question was, how hard would a “nudge” have to be to make a real difference?
The original page (or control)
Here’s the client’s homepage. with the search widget featuring a standard “Search” button.
The tested page (or variation)
We made a single one‑word change to the tested page. Can you see it?
Yes, that’s it. The label on the search button changed from “Search” to “Search Now.”
Nothing else changed.
Result: Bookings increased by 38%
During the test, we observed a 38% increase in bookings.
But why?
If you’ve read our article on the Safe Step Principle, you might wonder: doesn’t adding “Now” risk the same problem we warned about with “Buy Now” buttons?
The Safe Step Principle shows that pushy CTAs backfire when they demand more commitment than the visitor is ready to give—“Buy Now” on a category page asks visitors to leap past their readiness. However, “Search Now” is fundamentally different for three reasons:
- Low friction: Searching is the safest possible step. It costs nothing, commits to nothing, and carries no risk.
- Temporal prompting: Adding “Now” doesn’t increase the commitment; it simply injects a sense of the present tense into an action the visitor already intended to take.
- Directivity: Research suggests that specific, directive language reduces cognitive load. “Search” is a label; “Search Now” is an instruction.
The change worked because it didn’t ask visitors to do anything different; it simply reminded them that the time to act was the present.
What’s 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.
Thanks to our client for letting us share these insights (and for being such a great team to work with).
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