'Stats' on rental sites - useful or not?

OTA = Online Travel Agency, which means those sites that sell the booking and take the payment for you.
User avatar
Jimbo
Posts: 3582
Joined: Thu Oct 19, 2006 7:41 am
Location: Charente Maritime

'Stats' on rental sites - useful or not?

Post by Jimbo »

I wondered how much notice members took of their 'stats' information on commercial rental sites. Obviously, it's comforting to know that you're getting plenty of hits - and worrying if you're not - but can you deduce anything else that's useful from this information?

Jim
User avatar
Mouse
Posts: 7277
Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:47 pm
Location: Balearics
Contact:

Post by Mouse »

On OD stats you can see how many site visitors come back and take a second look at your page - so thats quite useful I suppose. Other than that we only have the hits to go off, which is comforting to know - but then its all relative if you don't get bookings.

I'm surprised how many sites say they can't give you the information like; most popular searches (3 or 4 bed for example), the average % of occupancy in villas in certain areas etc. (which then could be related back to no. of site visitors). I actually think there is a wealth of info these sites get but won't share...and marketing information is always extremely useful

Mouse
x
Last edited by Mouse on Sat Jan 06, 2007 1:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
One martini, two martini, three martini floor!
e-richard
Posts: 5008
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:33 am
Location: Algarve, Portugal
Contact:

Post by e-richard »

Yes, I too have wondered about this. About the closest I came to any deduction was that many hits but low enquiries could point to poor description and/or photographs.

On the other hand, the statistician in me wants to know what is "many hits" ? Is 100 a big number or a small number ?

What we need to know is what similar properties in the same region attain in terms of hits/enquiries and bookings, and only then can you make any sort of deductions. Of course, whether you can do anything about it is another question.
User avatar
Mouse
Posts: 7277
Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:47 pm
Location: Balearics
Contact:

Post by Mouse »

Yes - I'd love to get my hands on 'tourism' stats but I've never found a source.
They would certainly be useful to show where to buy investment property to rent out. For example everyone is hyping up countries like Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Rumania etc...but how do you know if its a good area to rent out & therefore make a profit?

Mouse
x
One martini, two martini, three martini floor!
e-richard
Posts: 5008
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:33 am
Location: Algarve, Portugal
Contact:

Post by e-richard »

Mouse, there are many tables of stats available for that info, but beware, they were probably collated by the developers trying to sell you an investment and we all know how stats can be manipulated :oops:

Reminds me of a maishot I received recently from HR trying to sell me the £95 upgrade to include the "lucrative" US market in which they listed the top 20 places that Americans seek vacations. Portugal and the Algarve in particular didn't make the top 20, so in effect their stats backfired and I won't be listing there :roll:
User avatar
Mouse
Posts: 7277
Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:47 pm
Location: Balearics
Contact:

Post by Mouse »

How interesting....where are the top places in europe for americans?

The boss of the company I work for is desperate to find out where all the holidaymakers from the south east of england that fly into Alicante airport go! Any pointers as to where that info can be found?
He's selling Benidorm accomodation (and just recently added Alicante/costa brava) and it appears it a very 'northern' holidaymaker type place...no one from the south east has yet booked through the website & its been running over 2yrs

I know that there are lots of flights coming in from Gatwick, Luton, Stansted etc to Alicante....so where do they all go?

Mouse
x
One martini, two martini, three martini floor!
Mick Garmston
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun May 07, 2006 5:26 pm
Location: Europe Accommodation Portal
Contact:

Post by Mick Garmston »

Mouse,
Please take a look at the "European Tourism Insights" report, which is produced for the European Travel Commission by The Travel Business Partnership. This is available for public viewing and can be found here: ETC Report

This report provides information about each Country, and source markets (i.e. USA, Japan etc). At the moment, there only seems to be a report for 2005 which contains an outlook for 2006.

Another is the ETC Factsheet for Jan 2007. This shows that Americas account for 6% of guests to Europe.

Hope you find this information useful.
LaLuz
Posts: 467
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2005 2:35 pm
Location: Costa de la Luz
Contact:

Post by LaLuz »

Speaking about 'stats information' can someone please tell me what the difference is between property hits and unique sessions on Owners Direct?
User avatar
Partridge
Posts: 2701
Joined: Wed Sep 20, 2006 9:31 pm
Location: Costa de la Luz
Contact:

Post by Partridge »

I wondered this so tested it myself.....basically once you click on the thumbnail it is one 'unique session' and one 'hit', if you come off, look at other places and then go back for a second looky it makes a second hit but not a second unique session. Haven't tested if you go back the next day whether that makes another unique session or not though.
Don't waste energy on things you can't change.

Costa de la Luz apartment rental
www.ownersdirect.co.uk/spain/S5386.htm
LaLuz
Posts: 467
Joined: Sun Aug 21, 2005 2:35 pm
Location: Costa de la Luz
Contact:

Post by LaLuz »

Thanks for that partridge - you've stopped me racking my brains :lol:
Uber-Rob
Posts: 5
Joined: Mon Apr 10, 2006 1:07 pm
Location: *Work for Holiday Lettings*

Post by Uber-Rob »

Hi Guys,

Unless OD is using a different definition/method from most of the internet then a 'unique session' means the following.

When you visit a website it gives your browser a temporary name and asks the browser to mention that name every time you view a new page. That way the website knows if you're a new visitor or someone who's already using the site.

The browser will throw away that name if you close all it's windows, and the website will forget the name a few hours* after you last asked it for a page - i.e. it's one "session" of using the website.

*this can really vary depending on how they've set up their website.
Holiday Lettings Tech Bod
User avatar
Giddy Goat
Posts: 9054
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Giddy Goat »

So if you get 467 hits, and 435 unique sessions, it means 32 punters cam back for a second look.

I think! :?
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
e-richard
Posts: 5008
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 11:33 am
Location: Algarve, Portugal
Contact:

Post by e-richard »

Gascony Goat wrote:So if you get 467 hits, and 435 unique sessions, it means 32 punters cam back for a second look.
Well, to be really pedantic, I'd say UP TO 32 punters came back. If one punter came back 5 times, (s)he would clock up 5 hits for only one person (session).
User avatar
Giddy Goat
Posts: 9054
Joined: Sun Jun 12, 2005 7:38 am
Location: UK
Contact:

Post by Giddy Goat »

That's true e-Richard - forgot to allow for serious revisits!
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be
User avatar
Mouse
Posts: 7277
Joined: Tue Jun 20, 2006 6:47 pm
Location: Balearics
Contact:

Post by Mouse »

Mick - thanks so much for those links! :D

I'm back at work tomorrow :cry: (having been on a lovely 2 week break) so will take a look at the information more fully.


Mouse
x
One martini, two martini, three martini floor!
Post Reply