BCV Affiliate Blog

Following an extensive brand review, as of October 4th 2010 Blue Chip Vacations will be changing name to Blue Chip Holidays!

This is obviously going to have some implications for you! We’ll be switching to www.bluechipholidays.co.uk as of 9.00am 4th OCTOBER 2010, so any links coming into our site will need to be changed to this domain. As of 9.30 am on this day, a new datafeed with the new correct URL’s will be uploaded to our merchant area on A Win and it is strongly advised you work from this from that point onwards. Any bespoke requirements can be met by this time, so please send me an outline of what you would need and I’ll send that over to you as soon as the new domain goes live.

The change of name obviously brings with it a change of logo, so all current banners will be replace with fresh ones, complete with more relevant images and up to date text, and will showcase some of our new locations, including the Isle of Wight and Wales.

Why change?

We’ve been through an extensive rebranding process, and after hours of meetings, county-wide focus groups and much deliberation; the new name was decided on. The feedback we got was positive on the Blue Chip front-conveying an idea of quality and luxury, but the “vacations”, combined with our current “.com” status, was leading many customers to believe we were not based in the UK, with a decidedly American feel, which was putting off potential customers. It is hoped that the change will result in a more consistent image, which, combined with our new “.co.uk” suffix, will encourage customer confidence and thus increase our conversion rates.

If you want any further information on this, or any advice on the switch, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on 01803 881020 or on MSN: anthonybcv@hotmail.co.uk.

2 great prizes on offer this summer! Win a short break for you and 5 guests in the beautiful At the Beach, Torcross! Or a fantastic stay for you and 3 guests in the charming Rocklands in Newquay! Read the rest…

To mark the fantastic 20% off discount this July, Blue Chip Vacations have released a new set of banner creatives!  Everything displayed here can be downloaded from the Blue Chip Vacations Merchant Area on Affiliate Window. Should you require specific sizes, just drop me a line!

Hope this deal works out really well for you, if you want any more info please don’t hesitate to get in touch!

It’s been a great two years for the Blue Chip Vacations Affiliate Programme, and we’re really happy with the progress you’ve helped us make. But we are always trying to improve the service, the communication, and of course, the revenue for both ourselves and all you affiliates. Read the rest…

The Zapcats Grand Prix comes to Newquay

Secure a Newquay booking and you could win a fantastic Zapcats holiday experience!

With a great start to 2010 under our belt, Blue Chip Vacations have teamed up with Zapcats Grand Prix to present its affiliates with a fantastic competition offer!

How does a 3 night stay for you and three friends in cosmopolitan surfer’s haven Newquay, as a VIP guest, sound?

Any affiliate sales made for a Newquay property for a 2010 holiday booked between now and 9 April 2010 will automatically be put into a prize draw to win a fantastic holiday experience with Blue Chip Vacations. The lucky winner will enjoy a 3 night stay for themselves and up to 5 guests in the luxurious Pentire Mews. These stunning individually designed apartments are a mere 5 minute walk from Fistral Beach. But that’s not all; we’re throwing in VIP access to the racing teams, a chance to meet the stars of the show; the drivers, and even the chance to be driven around Fistral Bay in a Zapcat! If that wasn’t enough, we’ll even treat you to a meal at the charming Fistral Blu during one of the race days for you and your party, a great spot to enjoy the legendary waves of Fistral Beach. This really is a prize that money can’t buy for one lucky affiliate to enjoy!

Read the rest…

After a record breaking January, Blue Chip Vacations have decided to say thank you to all you affiliates with its latest incentive! If you secure 10 confirmed bookings in February you will automatically go onto the increased commission rate of 6% for the rest of the month. So there couldn’t be a better time to start driving your Blue Chip Vacations’ sales!
With an average booking value of around £700, you could be pocketing £40 per sale you make for us! Now is a fantastic time for sales, with so many of us fancying a sunny summer break in an idyllic South Western retreat. In addition to this, our new website has just launched, offering visitors a more user friendly viewing experience. Read the rest…

If you go down to Blue Chip today – you’re in for a BIG surprise…!

Following a comprehensive usability and user experience study by Foolproof, Blue Chip have made some big changes to the look and feel of the main site; as well as improving functionality and navigation for a more user-centric approach.

What does it mean for you?

Well first of all you don’t need to change your links. The new site has been fully tested and all affiliate tracking and click-append to remove the main phone number are working correctly as for the old site. All the changes are aimed at improving customer experience at whatever stage of their holiday planning journey – from fact finding about the area to comparing features of individual properties. The big picture is that this should help in the decision making process and lead ultimately to increased online bookings and improved conversion rates.

The slides below indicate the changes that have been made to the site and the benefits that these changes should have.

The Home Page

The changes to the home page are largely cosmetic, with a new cleaner look and feel. In addition we have introduced new ways to search for a property, breaking down by holiday type for those browsers without a particular area in mind.

Search results page

The search results pages now include a horizontal search box allowing the user to amend their search criteria on the page. It more clearly shows the choices that they have already made and offers further options for refining their search.

We have also introduced a shortlist function to the search results page, allowing users to save their favourite properties while they browse others and to compare their property choices before making a final decision.

Town Landing page

The changes to the town, area and county pages include a written introduction to that place, large image banners and a brief introduction to Blue Chip. These pages can all be deeplinked to and may provide more appropriate alternative landing pages to the home page for much affiliate traffic. The changes to content and layout of these pages means that they should work out of context of the rest of the site; they do not assume that the visitor has any prior knowledge of either the area or Blue Chip, and so should provide a smoother journey and reduce bounce rates.

Property Page

The property pages have undergone perhaps the most radical overhaul. Blue Chip are particularly proud of their property images – all of which are commissioned by professional photographers. To make the most of them, the lead display image is now much larger than previously, and any interaction with the images will generate a full screen lightbox slideshow of all the images.

Other big changes to this page include:

thumbnail Google Map with the property location

at-a-glance pricing and selection information with prominent call to action

Summary of key information above the fold

Clear and prominent user reviews

Prominent tab structure to take the user to more detailed information

Pricing and Availability tab

The move to a 12 month calendar on the price and availability tab for each property means that customers can more easily see at a glance what dates the property is available to book. It is also easier to select their dates and get a price for their intended stay and go on to book.

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Hopefully this summary of the changes to the Blue Chip Vacations website has been useful and we think you will agree that they will be beneficial to improving conversion rates.

If you have any feedback on the new site or would like to discuss working with Blue Chip in the future, please get in touch at affiliates@bluechipvacations.com or feel free to leave a comment.

Blue Chip Vacations have created a new range off banners to compliment the changes to the website and brochure, with the themes “Relax, Indulge, Enjoy”.

I have included a sample here to give you a taste of what the new banners look like, and these and some further sizes can all be downloaded from the Blue Chip Merchant area on Affiliate Window.

If you need any specific sizes, please get in touch to arrange.

Read the rest…

First Sale Bonus

Are you new to the Blue Chip Affiliate programme?  OR have you signed up but not got around to doing any promotions? Well now is a fantastic time to start working with us and to make your first sale for Blue Chip!

February is always a very busy booking time here at Blue Chip; people are looking ahead to Easter and summer holidays, and average order values stand at over £700.  Standard commission is 5% on every confirmed sale, but throughout February we will be awarding an additional £10 bonus for those affiliates making their first sale for Blue Chip Vacations.

Remember you can’t direct link to Blue Chip from PPC ads on UK search engines, but there are a whole host of other ways to work with Blue Chip.  The datafeed on ShopWindow in upto date and we have just posted some brand new banner creative in a variety of sizes and styles.  If you need a bespoke datafeed, additional images or video creative, or would like to discuss having an exclusive discount then please contact us directly and we should be able to sort something out for you.

So what’s stopping you???

The Blue Chip property portfolio has had some changes over the last few months – so here is an update on our latest new properties and properties which have withdrawn.

NEW PROPERTIES!! Please add listings for these fantastic new properties to your site.  As new properties, they will have plenty of availability for 2010 and lots earning potential for your site.  If you need more information – please contact us direct at affiliates@bluechipvacations.com or are alternatively they will be available on the latest product feed to download from Shop Window on your Affiliate Window account.

Property Name	Property Code	Location	Deeplink
2 Seashore	se02	Newquay	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/newquay/2-seashore.html
33 Bredon Court	bre33	Newquay	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/newquay/33-bredon-court.html
46 Ocean 1	oc146	Newquay	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/newquay/penthouse-48-ocean-1.html
8 Sovereign House	sove08	Torquay	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/torquay/8-sovereign-house.html
9 Headland Point	hp09	Newquay	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/newquay/9-headland-point.html
Brownlow House	brownl	Plymouth	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/plymouth/brownlow-house.html
Bryher Cottage	bryher	Watergate Bay & Mawgan Porth	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/watergate-bay-mawgan-porth/bryher-cottage.html
Curlew Point	curlew	Whitsand Bay & Downderry	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/whitsand-bay-downderry/curlew-point.html
F3 The Pearl	peaf3	Newquay	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/newquay/f3-the-pearl.html
Harbour Heights House	harmev	Mevagissey	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/mevagissey/harbour-heights-house.html
Little Thatch	thatch	Dawlish	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/dawlish/little-thatch.html
Manor House	manho	Dartmoor & Country	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/torquay/manor-house.html
Rose, Weston Bay	west57	Sidmouth	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/sidmouth/rose-weston-bay.html
Tanna Nivas	tanna	Paignton	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/paignton/tanna-nivas.html
Topsham, Bay Fort Mansions	bftop	Torquay	http://www.bluechipvacations.com/holiday-cottages/torquay/topsham-bay-fort-mansions.html

Withdrawn properties

Please check your listings and remove these properties as they are no longer available to book with Blue Chip:

PROPRTY NAME	CODE	COUNTY
Ingle Tor, Bovey Castle	boving	Devon
15 Compass House	compas	Devon
31 Higher Street	hs31	Devon
2 Meadfoot Grange	me02	Devon
Penthouse 48 Ocean 1	oc148	Cornwall
Orchard View	orch	Devon
Barcelona, Priory Cottages	ptba	Devon
Granada, Priory Cottages	ptga	Devon
Marbella, Priory Cottages	ptma	Devon
Mijas, Priory Cottages	ptmi	Devon
Valencia, Priory Cottages	ptva	Devon
Little Ravenswell	ravens	Devon
2 Headland Point	tow02	Cornwall
Tregenna	tregen	Devon
20 Tor Sands	ts20	Devon
Upper Deck	upper	Devon
Ingle Tor, Bovey Castle	boving	Devon