I'd argue Airbnb is quite a unique case to look as a case for conversion. Mainly because they have such unique, exclusive and wide selection that there is high demand for (people want to stay somewhere nice when they travel) and a strong brand created around it.
A lot of the people coming to the site have high intent to book something right at that moment and especially with Airbnb. Spending a lot of time to find the right option for them, and once they find something they are willing to do a lot (filling that information etc) since it's what they want and it's exciting to them.
It's quite different for most saas startups where the demand is often less imminent or not as strong.
I am surprised there are no comments -- this is a fantastic analysis. Thank you for sharing. Could you please screenshot and add the plot images, right now it says the plot tool requires the author to subscribe. Thank you!
Plotly missed a chance at revenue here! I would have happily kicked in $10 to fuel the graphs on this page. Sadly, that doesn't seem to be an option.
I get their approach to pricing in theory, but I have to say it leaves me with a negative association. Here they have a chance to show off their chart product, build their brand, and maybe acquire some customers. Now my association with Plotly is "shit's broke".
I have just fixed the plots with the article and it works well now! The Plotly's free account limits the number of views to 500 per day and the article views went way over that.
A lot of the people coming to the site have high intent to book something right at that moment and especially with Airbnb. Spending a lot of time to find the right option for them, and once they find something they are willing to do a lot (filling that information etc) since it's what they want and it's exciting to them.
It's quite different for most saas startups where the demand is often less imminent or not as strong.
Disclaimer: I used to work at Airbnb.