42244 1 3 econsultancy_xml <p> <img alt="Thomas Cook homepage" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/2623611359_028f07ec26_o.jpg" /> <br /> </p> Among the changes to the site is a new SEO system to enhance the site's presence on search engines, as well as an ATG platform which will allow Thomas Cook to track customer behaviour and target accordingly. <br /><br />Of the issues we raised in our previous article, a few have been addressed in this revamp. <br /><br />For instance, we pointed out that the site little useful information on destinations. Thomas Cook has now added video guides for its more popular resorts and locations:<br /><br /><p><img alt="Video guide" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/2624436180_dfe1dc35b9_o.jpg" /><br /></p> This is an improvement, but these videos are contained within the 'destinations' section of the website. They may be more useful to customers on the actual product pages, as seeing this may just be enough to persuade them to make a booking. <br /><br />In another welcome improvement, Thomas Cook will be adding a user review section, asking holidaymakers to come back to the site and leave feedback on their holidays. <br /><br />This kind of information will not only help users decide on the holiday they want, but will also keep more people on the site, rather than looking elsewhere for customer feedback on holiday destinations. <br /><br />Thomas Cook has also tweaked the homepage slightly, adding a section on the left hand side which promotes the latest holiday deals. <br /><br /><p><img alt="Thomas Cook best deals" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/2624477804_5091088631.jpg" /><br /></p><br />We do have an issue with this feature though; I clicked on several of the best or last minute deals and got this error message every time: <br /><br /><p><img alt="Thomas Cook error message" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2623658991_1c19bdf060_o.jpg" /><br /></p> The message tells me that there are no holidays matching my requirements. This seems to be because this feature is linked to the date entered in the holiday search box on the right of the page. <br /><br />However, even when I have not selected a date before selecting one of the 'best deals' I still get this error message, so this is clearly something that Thomas Cook needs to sort out. <br /><br />Of the ten usability issues we pointed out in our last article on Thomas Cook, a number still remain. The search results can be slow to load, too many searches return no results or the kind of error messages mentioned above. <br /><br />In addition, the price still changes from the one displayed on the search results page when you start the booking process, while contact details can be tricky to find. <br /><br />So, Thomas Cook has clearly made a few improvements, and the site is pretty good, but we'd say there is still some work needed to improve the user experience. <br /><br /><strong>Related research:</strong><br /><a href="../../../publications/travel-website-benchmarks/">Travel Website Benchmarks 2007</a><br /><br /><strong>Related stories:</strong><br /><a href="../../../news-blog/364160/five-ways-to-make-online-travel-sites-better.html">Five ways to make online travel sites better</a><br /><a href="../../../news-blog/362905/reasons-why-customers-don-t-book-travel-online.html">Reasons why customers don't book travel online</a> <FormattedContent xmlns="http://www.e-consultancy.com/schema/formattedContent/"> <Paragraph Align="Center"> <Image AlternateText="Thomas Cook homepage" Source="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3235/2623611359_028f07ec26_o.jpg"> </Image> <LineBreak /> </Paragraph> Among the changes to the site is a new SEO system to enhance the site's presence on search engines, as well as an ATG platform which will allow Thomas Cook to track customer behaviour and target accordingly. <LineBreak /><LineBreak />Of the issues we raised in our previous article, a few have been addressed in this revamp. <LineBreak /><LineBreak />For instance, we pointed out that the site little useful information on destinations. Thomas Cook has now added video guides for its more popular resorts and locations:<LineBreak /><LineBreak /><Paragraph Align="Center"><Image AlternateText="Video guide" Source="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/2624436180_dfe1dc35b9_o.jpg"></Image><LineBreak /></Paragraph> This is an improvement, but these videos are contained within the 'destinations' section of the website. They may be more useful to customers on the actual product pages, as seeing this may just be enough to persuade them to make a booking. <LineBreak /><LineBreak />In another welcome improvement, Thomas Cook will be adding a user review section, asking holidaymakers to come back to the site and leave feedback on their holidays. <LineBreak /><LineBreak />This kind of information will not only help users decide on the holiday they want, but will also keep more people on the site, rather than looking elsewhere for customer feedback on holiday destinations. <LineBreak /><LineBreak />Thomas Cook has also tweaked the homepage slightly, adding a section on the left hand side which promotes the latest holiday deals. <LineBreak /><LineBreak /><Paragraph Align="Center"><Image AlternateText="Thomas Cook best deals" Source="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/2624477804_5091088631.jpg"></Image><LineBreak /></Paragraph><LineBreak />We do have an issue with this feature though; I clicked on several of the best or last minute deals and got this error message every time: <LineBreak /><LineBreak /><Paragraph Align="Center"><Image AlternateText="Thomas Cook error message" Source="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2623658991_1c19bdf060_o.jpg"></Image><LineBreak /></Paragraph> The message tells me that there are no holidays matching my requirements. This seems to be because this feature is linked to the date entered in the holiday search box on the right of the page. <LineBreak /><LineBreak />However, even when I have not selected a date before selecting one of the 'best deals' I still get this error message, so this is clearly something that Thomas Cook needs to sort out. <LineBreak /><LineBreak />Of the ten usability issues we pointed out in our last article on Thomas Cook, a number still remain. The search results can be slow to load, too many searches return no results or the kind of error messages mentioned above. <LineBreak /><LineBreak />In addition, the price still changes from the one displayed on the search results page when you start the booking process, while contact details can be tricky to find. <LineBreak /><LineBreak />So, Thomas Cook has clearly made a few improvements, and the site is pretty good, but we'd say there is still some work needed to improve the user experience. <LineBreak /><LineBreak /><Emphasis>Related research:</Emphasis><LineBreak /><Link URL="../../../publications/travel-website-benchmarks/" Window="Self">Travel Website Benchmarks 2007</Link><LineBreak /><LineBreak /><Emphasis>Related stories:</Emphasis><LineBreak /><Link URL="../../../news-blog/364160/five-ways-to-make-online-travel-sites-better.html" Window="Self">Five ways to make online travel sites better</Link><LineBreak /><Link URL="../../../news-blog/362905/reasons-why-customers-don-t-book-travel-online.html" Window="Self">Reasons why customers don't book travel online</Link></FormattedContent> 2008-06-30T11:01:00+01:00 1 1 econsultancy_xml <p> <strong>Travel agent Thomas Cook introduced some changes to its website last week, aimed at improving navigation and relevance for its users. </strong> </p> <p>We <a>looked at the site</a> a couple of months ago, finding a few problems with the holiday booking process, so has <a>Thomas Cook</a> resolved any of these issues?</p> <FormattedContent xmlns="http://www.e-consultancy.com/schema/formattedContent/"> <Paragraph> <Emphasis>Travel agent Thomas Cook introduced some changes to its website last week, aimed at improving navigation and relevance for its users. </Emphasis> </Paragraph> <Paragraph>We <Link URL="javascript:void(0);/*1214821150544*/" Window="Self">looked at the site</Link> a couple of months ago, finding a few problems with the holiday booking process, so has <Link URL="javascript:void(0);/*1214818668058*/" Window="Self">Thomas Cook</Link> resolved any of these issues?</Paragraph> </FormattedContent> false 2561 365889 Thomas Cook redesign: Has it improved usability? false 2008-07-01T08:27:00+01:00 thomas-cook-redesign-has-it-improved-usability 2009-04-30T01:12:05+01:00 2009-04-30T01:12:05+01:00 768