Q: How much do early buyers pay for lift tickets versus last-minute skiers?

Two weeks ago we asked how much early-bookers of ski vacations were paying for their lodging versus the last-minute crowd. The results were pretty clear with last-minute guests saving significantly over those who made their reservations well in advance. Companies like Liftopia have taken a different approach to lift tickets by rewarding skiers with bigger discounts who buy their tickets in advance. Has this model worked or are last-minute savings driving lift ticket sales as well? Here’s what we found.

The Goods
We had a handful of data for Liftopia deals, but decided to go straight to the source to see if we could get the precise numbers. Gratefully, they were happy to oblige with data from the 2012/13 season.

Rather than use an average sale price like our lodging example, these savings numbers are relative to the window rate. So let’s say a ticket (that cost $80 at the window) sold for $60 a week before the arrival date. This would represent a -25% “Price Paid vs Window Rate” (($80-$60) / $80) and booking window of 7. Here’s how it shakes out.

While the price paid by last-minute bookers decreased dramatically for lodging, the exact opposite is true for tickets sold through Liftopia. Skiers who purchased over 30 days out saved an average of 31.2% while those who waited until the last day only saved 24.7%.

What This Means
Lodging and lift tickets are different animals in many regards. With limited inventory on an individual night and even more scarcity on combinations of nights, lodging has built in motivation to buy early around the desire to get the exact rooms one needs. By using a combination of time and quantity limitations, however, the Liftopia model is able to achieve similar motivation.

The difference is that, when held up to the resort’s goal of locking in revenue early, the current lodging strategy can be perceived by guests as rewarding those who wait. On the flip side, the Liftopia ticket model can only be viewed as rewarding those who buy early.

See You Next Time
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