In March 2017, WUA conducted research into the online orientation behavior of consumers searching for a rental car in Malaga. The respondents had complete freedom to visit the websites that appealed to them most (free orientation). In this research, rentalcars.com is the winner with a Web Performance Score of 75, followed at a considerable distance by ANWB.nl (62 points). Rentalcars.nl had by far the highest findability (67%, 33 percentage points higher than the second-highest findability score), the second-highest conversion (32%) and the highest score on Overall Rating (78 points). ANWB.nl had by far the highest conversion (59%), but a findability of only 28%.
Rentalcars.nl scored highest of all providers on the Look & Feel theme in the First Impression. This provider also scored above average high in the Deep Dive phase. Other providers in this research that performed well on Look & Feel were AutoEurope.nl, ANWB.nl and EasyTerra.nl. The latter provider scored highest on this theme in the Deep Dive phase (83 points), no less than 9 points higher than in the First Impression. The lowest Look & Feel scores were achieved by HolidayCars.nl in the First Impression (70 points) and Avis.nl in the Deep Dive phase (75 points). In the Deep Dive phase, HolidayCars.nl actually scores above average high with 79 points.
A comparison between providers that score high and low on Look & Feel
What goes so well for the best-scoring providers regarding Look & Feel? And what distinguishes the websites of these providers from those of competitors who achieve much lower scores on this theme? What lessons can we draw from this? In the First Impression, the highest Look & Feel scores are achieved by the research winner rentalcars.com (78 points) and number 4 AutoEurope.nl (77 points). The lowest scores went to number 8 HolidayCars.com (70 points) and number 9 Recordrentacar.com (71 points). In the Deep Dive phase, the highest Look & Feel scores are achieved by number 7 EasyTerra.nl (83 points) and the research winner rentalcars.com (81 points). The lowest scores went to number 10 Avis.nl (75 points) and again number 9 Recordrentacar.com (76 points).
Clarity and overview
Respondents indicate they find it positive that rentalcars.com and AutoEurope.nl are so clear and well-organized. Both websites immediately show a prominent input block where all data can be entered easily. Moreover, on both these sites and on EasyTerra.nl, it's immediately visible which major brands are included in the comparison. "The cars immediately indicate that you're in good hands. You can enter the data. Different providers at a glance." (Rentalcars.com) "On the 1st page you can already search." (AutoEurope.nl) "It's sleek and simple which makes it clear in my opinion."(EasyTerra.nl)
Respondents are negative about the clutter on Recordrentacar.com's homepage. The advertising is distracting and it's not immediately clear what kind of cars are offered. It's also notable that Spanish, Dutch, and English are used interchangeably on the site. "I find the advertising distracting." "Way too cluttered and you have to search hard." (Recordrentacar.com)
HolidayCars.com is particularly criticized for its boring, gloomy color usage and the atmosphere the website evokes. "Little atmosphere." "No striking colors." (HolidayCars.com)
Avis.nl is not really found clear by respondents. The navigation is not well-organized and respondents are also not enthusiastic about the business-like appearance of Avis.nl. "Menu options hard to find." (Avis.nl) "Not really a holiday feeling." (Avis.nl)
Reasons to choose the provider
User reviews or reasons to choose Recordrentacar.com or Avis.nl are not immediately shown, which is the case with the best-scoring providers. On Recordrentacar.com, users have to scroll down for this.
EasyTerra.nl immediately shows USPs and user reviews to convince visitors that this provider is a good choice. This is also the case with the other high-scoring providers rentalcars.com and AutoEurope.nl.
On HolidayCars.com, it's immediately indicated that they have more than 1 million satisfied customers, but reviews from these customers are not visible here.
Display of the product offering
An aspect of rentalcars.com that users appreciate is that it clearly indicates how many people and suitcases fit in the offered cars. Avis.nl also shows this in the overview. "The information about how many people and suitcases is handy." (Rentalcars.com)
Respondents indicate they find it annoying that HolidayCars.com asks for their email address while retrieving available offers. It's not really clear that this is not mandatory to continue. "First asking for an email address. Personal data is also immediately requested when making an inquiry." (HolidayCars.com) On rentalcars.com, AutoEurope.nl and EasyTerra.nl, information such as general terms and conditions and explanations are displayed through a pop-up or mouse-over. On HolidayCars.com and Recordrentacar.com, the user is led to a separate page on the website, away from the search results. On Avis.nl, a large pop-up is shown with car details, but proportionally a very small image.
Conclusions
What do the best-scoring providers have in common? All of them offer a clearly visible block directly on the homepage where the desired location and date can be entered. Clear reasons are given to choose the provider in question (USPs and reviews), and if applicable, an overview of the brands included in the comparison. Additional information is shown on the high-scoring websites as mouse-over or pop-up, so the user is not led away from the search results.
In short, information is presented in a clear and well-organized way, supporting the visitor in making an appropriate choice. What do the lowest-scoring providers have in common? A boring or too business-like first impression, confusing information, unclear menus and too much advertising/offers on the homepage that distract the user. It's also not always clearly indicated and/or substantiated why the provider is a good choice, missing an opportunity to convince potential customers.
