During the “Stuck Inside of Mobile” session, the executive discussed the advancements the company has made since it launched its mobile site in 2011. The session was sponsored by ExactTarget.

“We decided on a mobile site versus an app,” said Paul Mello, director of marketing at Vegas.com.

“It was a better fit for how customers use our site,” he said.

Last-minute trip
Consumers can access the company’s mobile site by entering http://www.m.vegas.com on their mobile browser.

Through the mobile site, consumers can book their upcoming Vegas trips.

Users can book hotel rooms, buy show tickets, browse ongoing deals, view flight and hotel information and check out Vegas tours.

The mobile site also features mobile exclusive deals.

According to Mr. Mello, consumers are booking via mobile last-minute.

In addition to 75 percent of bookings happening within three days, a majority of that volume happens during a 24-hour period.

The company saw that as the last-minute bookings continued to grow, it was time to get the word out about its mobile site.

Vegas.com partnered with ExactTarget to use its email and SMS services.

The company targeted consumers at airports and also used billboards to drive engagement and sales.

The Vegas.com SMS campaigns also featured limited-time promotions.

Additionally, the company saw smartphone sessions grow 113 percent year-over-year and overall smartphone revenue increase 259 percent.

Time-sensitive deals
A mobile site is a good tool for Vegas.com to drive sales.

Consumers always have their mobile devices on hand and mobile presents a big opportunity for marketers to better reach their target audience.

By incorporating time-sensitive emails and SMS messages, Vegas.com is able to engage new and existing consumers with relevant offers and ultimately, drive sales.

“People are buying last-minute exclusive deals,” Mr. Mello said. “They’re also booking two products at once.”

Final Take
Rimma Kats is associate editor on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York