Wyndham Worldwide is developing new strategies for driving higher mobile conversion rates, including a St. Patrick’s Day-themed campaign inviting consumers to sign up for text alerts to receive clues revealing a discounted destination, as well as 13 exclusively mobile deals.

Wyndham Extra Holidays, which is a subsidiary of Wyndham Vacation Ownership, is offering St. Patrick’s Day revelers 13 exclusive offers only available on mobile. It is also prompting travel enthusiasts to sign up for the brand’s mobile alerts to receive clues unveiling a secret destination available at 70 percent off today, highlighting the revenue potential of rolling out campaigns with holiday tie-ins.

“We’ve seen tremendous growth in the mobile space,” said Sean Smith, director of rental marketing at Wyndham Vacation Ownership. “However, the conversion rate is still lower than desktop users.

“Our goal is to use these holiday campaigns to promote deeper discounts which should increase conversion.”

Luck of the mobile deals
In celebration of St. Patrick’s Day today, Wyndham is providing consumers with 13 exclusive deals only accessible on mobile. Mobile users must opt in to receive the texts, which arrive at a frequency of six per month.

“Lucky” individuals can receive up to 70 percent off a two-night stay at one of Wyndham’s hotels located in a top United States destination.

Additionally, those who sign up for text alerts today will find their message inbox filled with St. Patrick’s Day-themed clues foreshadowing a secret location, at which travelers will be able to book a resort stay with a massive 70 percent off discount.

The first clue reveals that the special deal pertains to a popular Southwest vacation spot in a well-known valley.

A two-night minimum stay is required in order to validate the offer.

Leveraging holiday tie-ins often lends more customer support and engagement to a branded campaign. Consumers on the lookout for limited sales may be persuaded to opt-in to extended SMS alerts or email subscription lists if the campaign has a memorable or interactive element.

Sears is another marketer tapping into the luck of the mobile app this St. Patrick’s Day by introducing a themed instant win game for its Shop Your Way loyalty members (see story).

Boosting mobile conversions
Mobile alerts are an optimal tactic for brands attempting to remind on-the-go consumers of limited-time deals. If travel fans are in the stages of researching and booking a springtime trip, receiving an SMS message from Wyndham on St. Patrick’s Day could spur them to participate in solving the riddle and discover the discounted destination.

Mobile booking continues to catch fire among many consumers – particularly those belonging to the millennial demographic – meaning that Wyndham is likely to experience an uptick in smartphone conversions if it continues to heavily market its last-minute specials.

Wyndham Worldwide executives at CXNYC 2015 said the hotel and resorts company is uncovering hidden pain points on its mobile properties with analytics tools designed to improve the customer experience (see story).

The hospitality marketer is no stranger to social media sweepstakes, which have been effective in bolstering customer engagement.

Over the summer, Wyndham Vacation Rentals introduced a new sweepstakes that asked consumers to unlock daily social media challenges for a chance to win prizes such as car rentals, a DSLR camera and vouchers to one of the hotel conglomerate’s rental properties (see story).

Using a holiday tie-in for its latest mobile-centric campaign will be an enticing aspect for many Wyndham customers this St. Patrick’s Day.

“It’s also proven very promising from a lead generation perspective where we have been very successful at driving consumers to opt into our mobile alerts to continue to receive promotions like the Wyndham Extra Holidays ‘Lucky 13’ mobile campaign,” Mr. Smith said.