Toggle is the Hospitality Commerce platform. You begin by building a webshop with the support of their team. Afterwards you plug in your Zonal EPOS & other tech partners. Finally, you begin selling anything from gift cards to experiences, merch & retail to hampers. Both online and in venue –  Toggle can do it all.

And the best news for you – it’s free for all Zonal customers for 90 days. Join the 60+ Zonal customers already taking advantage of the Toggle platform – risk free.

Pre-Toggle, you could find yourself having issues when selling and redeeming gift cards at till point. Nightmare, right? The Toggle & Zonal integration promises a seamless gifting solution. From your online webshop to the redeeming in-venue, staff won’t have gift card issues anytime soon!

If you’ve been considering setting up a gifting channel – this is your sign! Risk free. Easy set up. Toggle even fulfils all things physical from our distribution centre, meaning physical cards, pre-packed branded hampers and merch can be sold (without you even having to see or touch the products). Effortless.

Fill out the form below to get started and get gifting!

Holiday park guests are certainly a loyal bunch. Of the 76% planning to visit a holiday park at least once in the next 12 months, 72% of them intend to visit a brand or chain they have been to before. The question, then, is how can holiday park operators leverage this to their advantage?

The figures above come from our recent research, where we took an in-depth look at the holiday park sector. We surveyed thousands of holiday park guests and residents to find out what they want from their holiday park experiences and to identify the challenges and opportunities facing operators in the sector. And as part of this, we looked at the role of loyalty schemes.

How technology is transforming the holiday park sector

As in all other sectors of the hospitality industry, technology is helping holiday park operators deliver better customer experiences, drive sales and grow their businesses. Following a behavioral shift towards technology adoption – amplified by the pandemic – consumers now not only accept technology as part of the hospitality experience but agree that it improves their experience. In fact, our research showed that 64% of holiday park guests strongly agree, or agree, the availability of tech improves the quality of their stay.

However, such tech isn’t always available. Less than half of those surveyed said they’d had tech-based services available to them during their last visit to a holiday park and less than 20% of those had made use of those services. Moreover, even where it is on offer, it isn’t always hitting the mark. Over two-fifths of visitors gave low scores to tech services in holiday parks when asked as part of the survey. Nearly a quarter (23%) gave low scores when rating order at table systems in on-site restaurants, cafés and bars, and this rose to a quarter exactly (25%) giving a low score when rating the tech available to book activities.

Such figures strongly suggest that the sector is beginning to lag behind guests’ expectations. But all is not lost; investment in integrating systems and by ensuring you’re using all the capabilities of your existing systems, could be transformative. Even something as simple as utilising the customer data you already collect as part of the booking process will make a big difference, enabling you to remove particular pain points, personalise guest journeys and create more relevant experiences and offers. And the key to improving the guest experience in your park, could well be a loyalty scheme.

Leverage digital loyalty schemes for competitive advantage

Loyalty schemes have proved themselves popular with consumers and proven their worth to retailers and hospitality operators, alike. With the right technology in place operators can effectively collect data and use that information to target guests with specific promotions and bespoke offers, thus boosting spend and encouraging repeat visits.

The power of loyalty schemes has not been lost on holiday park residents, with 51% of them already signed up to a holiday park loyalty scheme. When it comes to holiday makers, however, the number falls to a mere 16%. It is particularly thought-provoking to contrast this with the similar number of residents and non-residents who expressed interest in signing up for a scheme – 49% and 46% respectively, so the desire is there.

To be successful, loyalty initiatives and programmes should offer:

• Excusive discounts for food and drink (61% of residents said this would encourage them to use on-site facilities more)
• Exclusive services and events (52% of residents said this would prompt them to take up offers) and
• Personalised experiences (just 43% of guests thought the experience across the park was personalised enough)

In conclusion, there is an opportunity for operators to leverage holiday park guests’ loyalty to the brands they love. Coupling this with more seamless, integrated technology and digital loyalty initiatives could really help make significant improvements to guest satisfaction and, therefore, the bottom line.

See the whole picture, join the whole experience

Zonal’s connected suite of hospitality solutions can help holiday park operators to optimise the guest experience and maximise revenues, while minimising costs and admin. These solutions include EPoS, table reservation systems, mobile Order & Pay at table, click and collect and more.

Visit our dedicated sector page to discover more.

Despite international travel opening up again, the lure of a traditional British break remains strong, with 76% of holiday park visitors planning to visit a holiday park in the next 12 months, according to our latest research in partnership with CGA.

We surveyed 3,000 holiday park guests in September 2021 and found that, while there’s a desire and intention to book their next holiday park trip, there are five main frustrations that may well prevent them from doing so. Our research also identified the ways operators can address these issues, and in doing so, appeal to holidaymakers, create better experiences, improve efficiencies and grow business revenues.

Frustration 1: Where’s the technology?

It is perhaps unsurprising that, for consumers now used to using technology in pubs, bars, restaurants and hotels, the same is expected of their chosen holiday park.

In fact, the majority (67%) of visitors strongly agree or agree, that it is as important to have these technology solutions inside a holiday park as it is in the outside world and a similar number (64%) strongly agree or agree, that the availability of technology solutions improves the quality of their stay in a holiday park. However, less than half the of holidaymakers surveyed said they had tech-based services available on their most recent visit to a holiday park and, of the 42% that did (namely online or app-based table booking), nearly a quarter (23%) rated their experience using it as poor or average.

This may seem like sobering reading, but the reality is that this presents a clear opportunity for any holiday park operator willing to invest in their on-site tech systems. Making sure consumer-facing tech such as online booking, order and pay, and click and collect are available, friction-free and easy to use, will easily give a park and its facilities the edge in what is becoming an ever-more competitive market.

Frustration 2: Poor WiFi

This neatly brings us onto the next big frustration – for there is no point in offering great tech solutions if the WiFi leaves guests and staff unable to access it. Guests agree, with 71% saying that having great WiFi accessibility is essential to their visit but just 53% highly rating the WiFi connectivity and strength (that is giving it a four or five, out of top score of five) at their last holiday park stay.

The ease by which guests can set up online accounts was another area in which holiday parks are under-indexing, with just 52% highly rating this. As this will likely be the very first experience of a park’s tech capabilities, it is crucial operators look at getting this right. A frictionless, simple interaction here will not only set the tone but determine whether or not, or how much, a guest utilises the technology on offer for the rest of their break.

Frustration 3: Lack of personalisation

The good news is that customer service in holiday parks is very highly rated by respondents, with 65% of them saying that they received high-quality service during their stay. The opportunity here is for operators to improve this even further by offering a more personalised experience. Currently just half of holiday park guests say they receive personalised service from staff and a mere 43% agree the technology was personalised.

This concept of a personalised experience is becoming more common across not just hospitality, but retail as well, and consumers are coming to expect at least a degree of bespoke service wherever they spend their money. Operators can address this issue by utilising data collected at booking or at on-site facilities. For example, operators can create targeted offers and experiences on site that speak to customer preferences –  kids eat free before 5pm for a family, or give staff the information that allows them to greet customers by name, for instance. Such insight can also be used to inform targeted marketing campaigns pre- and post-visit that entice guests back and encourage pre-booking and up-selling.

Frustration 4: Speed of service

Eating and drinking are a vital part of any holiday and what’s on offer is an important part of the decision-making process when it comes to choosing a holiday park – interesting to note this the same for residents and non-residents alike. Exactly half of holiday makers and 45% of residents said a wide range was important.

When it comes to using the experience of F&B offers onsite however, there are some worrying trends. Only half of guests said speed of service met their expectations and 12% went as far as rating it below standard. Interestingly, the experience at dinner was rated higher than that of lunch or breakfast (59% versus 47% and 43% respectively).

Back-of-house technology can help improve this. Integrating booking, EPoS and kitchen management systems, for example, ensures speedier service for customers and frees-up staff to concentrate more on great customer service, as time consuming tasks are streamlined (such as taking an order at the table and then inputting it into the system). Even a simple integration of payment and PoS will make a significant difference, by enabling servers to complete transactions at tables without returning to the POS terminal.

Frustration 5: More perks please

Loyalty schemes and initiatives can be a powerful tool for operators looking to drive F&B sales, yet they are currently under-utilised in the holiday park sector. Just 16% of holidaymakers are signed up for one (although this does rise to 51% when it comes to residents) yet nearly half (45%) say they would be interested in one if offered.

For their part, 61% of residents say they would be encouraged to use onsite facilities more frequently if they had access to exclusive discounts for food and drink and 53% would be encouraged to used on-site facilities if they had access to exclusive events or services. In the drive to boost margins, then, a loyalty scheme can be a powerful tool – and it will also harvest data that can be used to improve experiences and inform those aforementioned personalised experiences to boot.

In conclusion…

By looking at these findings, a clear pattern is emerging. On one side, guests who want a more connected and friction-free journey and tech that improves their holiday experience and on the other, holiday parks, for whom leveraging this technology will prove a huge opportunity.

See the whole picture, join the whole experience

Zonal’s connected suite of hospitality solutions can help holiday park operators to optimise the guest experience and maximise revenues, while minimising costs and admin. These solutions include EPoS, table reservation systems, mobile Order & Pay at table, click and collect and more.

Visit our dedicated sector page to discover more.

The staycation boom shows no immediate signs of abating, but this brings its own challenges, with changing guest expectations coinciding with operational issues such as rising costs and staff shortages. 

More Brits than ever took a staycation in 2021 (up 51% from 2020[1]) – and they liked it so much they’re planning to do it again in 2022. Recent research[2] shows that more than eight out of 10 UK holidaymakers who took a staycation in 2021 hope to take another next year. On top of that:

• 28% preferred a staycation over a holiday abroad
• 52% planned to take one staycation and one holiday abroad in 2022
• In a developing trend, 20% are considering taking a winter break in the UK

It means that UK holiday park operators are ideally placed to maximise revenues and widen their target markets, attracting new visitors. At the same time, the pandemic and its aftermath have created challenges. Focusing on finding solutions to these now will help to safeguard holiday park businesses for the future.

Below, we look at some of the ways technology can help operators embrace challenges they face.

1. Increasing customer expectations

Staycationers expect the same quality of vacation as they have experienced abroad, especially if they’re paying similar prices. Expectations of locally sourced food and premium drinks mean operators need to review food and beverage purchasing and look for ways to increase quality and choice without eroding profitability.

Rising expectations also apply to the digital experience, with holidaymakers increasingly demanding a high-quality, easy-to-use and personalised service. For holiday park operators, this means offering a seamless customer journey from booking a stay, to checking in, ordering food, reserving activities, paying bills, and receiving offers and discounts for their current and/or future stay.

A single source of customer data, achieved by joining up customer-facing and back-office systems, is the essential foundation of this seamless customer experience. Removing fragmented systems gives customers convenience and control, which makes them more likely to spend more and come back to stay again.

2. Guest and staff safety

Operators want to open safely, protect guests and staff members from any risks, including but not exclusively Covid, and minimise staff shortages due to sickness or self-isolation. New legislation around allergens, such as Natasha’s Law, now requires businesses to label all ingredients and allergen data on pre-packaged food. Thankfully technology can lend a hand here too.

Solutions businesses should consider, if they are not doing so already, include app-based at-table or in-lodge ordering, click and collect, contactless payment, and allergen data management and monitoring.

3. Keeping them in

If the positive trading predictions come to fruition next year, operators can look forward to another bumper holiday season in 2022. But how can holiday parks capitalise on the opportunity to increase revenues further, ensuring visitors make the most of onsite facilities to increase on-park spend?

Smartly managed loyalty programs will help to encourage rebooking, while integrated marketing and sales systems can help marketing teams reach more prospects in more channels with less budget.

Tech systems help here by giving control to guests. A fully integrated suite of technology solutions can enable them to prebook activities, preselect tables, pre-order food and have it delivered to their accommodation. By making it as easy as possible to browse and book holiday park experiences, guests will be less inclined to look for alternative options.

4. Staff shortages

Staff shortages in hospitality are the worst since records began in 2001, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Between May and July this year there were 117,000 vacant hospitality roles – this represents a 73,000 rise in vacancies from the previous quarter, with many businesses looking to recruit as lockdown restrictions eased.

The Confederation of British Industry predicts that the staffing crisis is set to last at least another two years. Holiday park operators will no doubt be thinking about how best to navigate the crisis whilst maximising occupancy and maintaining safety.  Such strategies could include more use of automation and guest self-service. This introduction of further automated services will have the added benefit of freeing up staff from doing time-consuming admin tasks to spending more one-on-one time with guests to deliver services that exceed expectations.

5. Taking stock

Rebuilding after the pandemic has been made even tougher with ongoing supply and delivery challenges.

UKHospitality estimates some hospitality businesses are facing cost inflation of 13% due to rises across food and drink prices, utility bills and wages.  Businesses will therefore have to re-evaluate their food and beverage offering to increase margins.  Again, efficiency can be helped here with integrated stock control and ordering technology.

Staff wages are also on the up. The new rate for the National Minimum Wage comes into effect in the spring at the beginning of the new season, but wages have already been increasing above and beyond this due to the staffing shortage. Restaurant and retail chain Itsu, for example, announced an 11% increase in September 2021 and others are likely to follow suit.

For holiday park operators, a higher wage bill will significantly eat into profits unless they can find ways to make savings elsewhere. A single source of operational data and a good business integrated solution can surface savings opportunities. Hoburne Leisure, for example saved 11% on food and beverage costs over three years using an integrated purchasing solution, which gave them real-time visibility over the whole supply chain.

Of course, there is no simple silver bullet to the challenges of rising costs, customer expectations and staffing pressures but technology is undoubtedly a key part if the solution. Zonal’s connected suite of hospitality solutions can help to optimise the customer experience, ensure safety, and maximise occupancy and revenues while minimizing costs and admin in your holiday park operation.

Visit our dedicated web page to learn more.

 

[1] https://www.visitbritain.org/2021-tourism-forecast
[2] Opinion Matters on behalf of Hoseasons