•
Growing a fintech product people trust
Hopper’s fintech product to lock a trip’s price and book later. +28% ARR, with hotel chargebacks 3x lower.
Role
Lead Product Designer
Timeline
Jul 2021 – Sep 2023
Team
2 PMs, a revenue lead, 2 engineering teams
Platform
Hopper app, Hopper Web, Capital One Travel
+28%
ARR for Price Freeze
3x
fewer hotel chargebacks by May 2023
+69%
revenue per trip on flights in one quarter
+14
flights NPS, up from −14 in four months
The story
Growing a fintech product, then earning users’ trust
01
Problem
People needed time to check with friends, wait for payday or confirm an event. By then, the price had gone up. Price Freeze lets them pay a small amount to lock the price and book later.
02
Context
On hotels it was a deposit that came off the stay. On flights it was a fee that didn’t. Many travelers didn’t know what they were paying for, or if they’d get it back.
03
Growth
We ran many A/B and smoke tests across hotels and flights. Letting people choose their duration added +23% revenue per trip on flights, and the offer moved closer to the moment people decide.
Savings copy on hotels: +29.5% conversion
Freeze in the flights list: +20% revenue per trip
04
Trust
In late 2022, more users disputed the charge with their bank instead of using their freeze. The problem wasn’t only price: it was comprehension and trust.
Find their freeze
+23%
discoverability, with new entry points in the storefront and search
Understand what they pay
+15%
revenue per trip on hotels, with a clear list of what’s paid and what’s non-refundable
Come back to it
+18%
more users returning to their freeze, from a deep link in the email
A clearer purchase screen: a clear title, what users pay and what is non-refundable.
Before and after: a separate payment step
New entry points: email, home, Price Freeze page, search and trips