Lift booking conversion for guests reserving on Airbnb for the first time

As a product manager at Airbnb, you are asked to get more first-time guests from browsing stays to a completed reservation. Explain which conversion you would move, where and why first-timers fall out of the booking flow, which changes you would make and in what order, and how you would measure success. ```hint Compare first-timers with repeat guests Lay out the booking flow step by step, from the first search to a confirmed stay, and look for the steps where people who have never booked drop off much more often than people who have. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Does "first-timer" mean someone who has never booked a stay on Airbnb, whether or not they have an account, or also someone new to a type of stay, such as a first trip abroad? - Which conversion matters most here: search to booking, listing view to payment, or a booking request through to a confirmed stay once the host accepts? - Is the whole guest journey in scope, from the first search to host acceptance, or only the checkout and payment steps? - Should a booking that is later cancelled count as a conversion? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - A precise definition of a first-timer and of the conversion being improved, including its time window - First-time guest segments compared, with one chosen and the reason for the choice - The steps where first-timers drop off, with pain points specific to never having booked, ranked by severity - Solutions prioritized by impact, effort and their effect on hosts and on the quality of the first stay - A primary metric with guardrails, and a test plan suited to how long people take to plan a trip ### Follow-up Questions - Many first-timers browse logged out and switch devices; how would you assign them to an experiment and measure the result? - If conversion rises but first-stay cancellations or poor reviews rise too, what would you do? - How would your plan change in a market where Airbnb has only recently launched?