It pays to go local

Lastminute.com claims to have seen a 50% increase in conversion rates in online bookings following the launch of a direct-debit facility on its German website.
Head of marketing and PR Alexandra Rieck said the success was due to understanding the habits of the German market - one which is highly security conscious and where credit card bookings over the Internet are not that prevalent.
Rieck said the company worked with local specialists to launch the direct debit facility on its site.