The gadgets are NOT a plugin.

To develop the gadgets you will need a strong knowledge of the following:

• JavaScript
• PHP
• API integration

Please note that we do not take responsibility for any issues that may arise due to a lack of knowledge in these areas. We expect that you fully understand what is required before beginning your implementation.

If you have any questions prior to beginning your implementation please feel free to get in touch with us via support@bookit.co.nz

In order to receive an initial key for your staging site, your client will need to have completed both the gadget Supply Agreement, and the Initial Key Agreement Form. Your client should also understand that the gadget Supply Agreement does include a fee that must be paid before the integration can commence. Your client can request a gadget Supply Agreement by contacting us via dev@bookit.co.nz

Please ensure you have also read the below information before requesting your initial key.

• Before you get started
• Getting started
• FAQs

What is Bookit and Why is it Integrated?

Bookit is the leading destination management system for the Tourism Industry. The system is currently being used by over 200 destinations encompassing Information Centres, National Parks, Property Managers, and Specialised Tourism Providers across New Zealand, Australia, and Asia. We also have over 45,000 active tourism operator consoles currently being used, making it one of the Asia-Pacific region's largest content providers for the tourism industry.

In order for destinations to be able to book local and national operators the operator has a "Bookit Member Console" where they load rates/availability and content. This is displayed internally to the destination via their "Bookit Staff Console" and via the destination website, where you will be tasked with integrating the technology.

Bookit allows a destination to access the system from an Operator’s perspective, and is broken up into six major objects:

Below should allow for you to get a high level understanding of the hierarchy of data in Bookit.

Booking Centre

The booking centre is the source of all the data. Each centre has a unique identifier that is used in various places. The identifier is usually displayed in the source code as q=XXXX EG "q=1234"

The Booking Centre also creates all of the configuration for operators, including: categories, business types, locations, facilities.

Operators

Operator consoles are created by the Booking Centre and the operator is assigned various configurations such as: operator category, business types, locations etc; this then allows a web developer to display them on the website effectively.

Operators are also responsible for loading their bookable product into Bookit to display via the gadgets. The operator console is also where they load images/descriptions. Each operator in Bookit contains a unique property ID which is important throughout the integration.

Bookit also have 4 main bookable operator types. Accommodation, Tours, Car Hire, and Tickets (aka Events).

If operators are not mapped to one of these types then that type will not require the beGadget integration built into the operator page, as they are a non-bookable operator.

Events

When referring to 'events' we are refering to a simple 'Whats On' event list. These often include events such as markets or community events and are not Bookable.

Bookit reserves the right to review all integrations before they are published live. Once you feel the development has been completed, please submit the certification form. Please note that certification should be requested no later than 10 business days before your intended release date.

Your gadget integration must be fully completed and ready to be released live before requesting certification; any outstanding issues with the beGadgets will prevent certification from being provided.

Major requirements for beGadget certification are as follows:

1. Operator pages MUST include both item and operator details. This can be done by calling the webAPI (recommended) or utilising the Operator Gadget. Information on this integration can be found here and an example can be viewed here
2. Test booking MUST have been made
3. Use of all recommended gadget parameters
4. Inclusion of site wide cart link
5. Positioning/ access to Search Gadget on home page
6. Gadgets are fully mobile responsive

Further requirements can be found on our Implementation page.

See our information page on creating operator pages for detailed information.

There is one special piece of javascript recognised by the gadgets, which you can include in your website. This script is optional. When it is included, it has the effect of overriding the default URLs for each operator page, with custom URLs that you define.

The script must be implemented externally to, and before, the Region Gadget initialisation. If you want to completely override the default syntax for the URLs for the products, you must define a global variable called BE_gadgetURLOverrides. This is an object with each Bookeasy operator ID expressed as a key, and the corresponding URL as the value. Example syntax for this option is shown below.

<script>
var BE_gadgetURLOverrides = {
  10138: 'https://www.test.com/Best-Western-Crystal-Hotel.html',
  25480: 'https://www.test.com/Hotel-Shamrock.html',
  25481: 'https://www.test.com/Welcome-Stranger-Motel.html'
};
</script>

The *above* script must be placed BEFORE all other gadget scripts, including the main gadgets script and your initialisation script:

<script src="//gadgets.impartmedia.com/gadgets.jsz?key=YOUR_KEY_GOES_HERE" type="text/javascript"></script>
<script type="text/javascript">
  $w(function() {
    BE.gadget.region(
..... ETC .....

Please also note that the BE_gadgetURLOverrides is only required on Region Gadget pages - you do not need to include it on all pages of your site.

Test bookings can be made in a number of ways, each require assistance from your client.

Create a test operator

You can find a help guide to assist your client with creating a new operator in their Bookit console here.

Once this has been done you will then need to place a booking on your test site. This will require making payment. Once the booking has been successfully completed your client can then log into their Bookit console and cancel the booking. They will also need to refund the payment with their secure payment provider.

Make a booking with an existing operator

When making a test booking with an existing operator we recommend contacting the operator to let them know that the incoming booking will be a test only.

Once this has been done you will then need to place a booking on your test site. This will require making payment. Once the booking has been successfully completed your client can then log into their Bookit console and cancel the booking. They will also need to refund the payment with their secure payment provider.

If you require the gadgets to be set at a specific date or a certain number of days from the current date you can utilise either of two parameters.

defaultDate

With this parameter you can hard-set a particular date you would like the gadget to default to. This option accepts a string of the format 'dd/mm/yyyy', or a JS date object.

defaultDaysFromToday

This parameter allows you to set a number of days from the current date as the default from the search.

To ensure the site is designed to attract optimal viewing and maximise conversion rates, we encourage the following guidelines to the gadget integration:

Search Gadget Positioning

Position the Search Gadget in a prominent position within the first fold of the homepage, ensuring a strong and clear 'call to action' Implement a Search Gadget on most if not all pages within your site (this should always be within the first fold of the page to attract action).

Styling the gadgets

Ensure the gadgets are styled to best complement your site's theme (I.e. filters pane, action buttons, styling, borders, colour palette, etc) to provide a seamless experience for your users.

Display All Bookable Product

The 'showAll' parameters should be enabled as a default to both the REGION and ITEM Gadgets. Specifically showAllAccom | showAllTours | showAllEvents. This will display the operators' product regardless of availability to entice consumers to continue searching and generate more bookings. Having these applied will also ensure that users will not see the message: "Sorry, no results match your search criteria. Please change your dates and options and try searching again."

Default Sort Order

Default the Results Gadget's sort order to 'Instant'. I.e. Gold Operators over Request Based. This will entice real-time bookings from your consumers, and will entice your Operators to transition from '24hr' to 'Instant'.

Remove Operator Contact Information

Operator Profiles should not display the Operator PHONE | EMAIL | WEBSITE details if they have bookable product. Doing so is proven to be a large hindrance for a destination to generate online bookings. If required, we strongly suggest these details require an action to prompt their display.

Complete Operator Pages

Ensure the operator pages are clear, informative, and have the Item Details Gadget located in a prominent position on the page, as with operator imagery (which is a proven feature to selling more). We also advise that you load SEO friendly URLS Eg. www.bookeasy.com/operator-name and avoid having URL's like www.bookeasy.com/page/subpage/pagename.aspx#/accom/1234

Default Nights

Set your site's default search nights to 3, 5 or 7 depending on how they render. This produces a 'grid view' that is deemed industry common. Doing so should entice longer stays, as well as generate more bookings due to increased transparency.

Responsive Gadgets

Mobile browser width needs to be fixed for all search results to avoid visitors needing to scroll horizontally.

Avoid Duplications

Be wary of other elements such as 'Site Search' and 'Business Directories' when integrating the booking engine. It is imperative to avoid duplicate Operator Profiles and ensure a seamless user experience.

Redirects

To ensure the gadgets propagate on your website, ensure that you redirect your website's non-www domain URL to the www domain URL (or vice versa, depending on which domain URL version you have been provisioned a gadget Authorisation Key for). For example, if Bookit has provisioned a gadget Authorisation Key for www.yourdomain.com, ensure that you redirect yourdomain.com to www.yourdomain.com. If you don't, then anyone landing on the yourdomain.com version of your website will not see the beGadgets displayed and will be unable to make bookings. This will also assist your website's SEO and search engine indexing.

showAll

showAllAccom | showAllTours | showAllEvents should be applied to both the Region and Item Gadgets. This should be applied so in the scenario when a user visits an operator profile directly or further inspects an operator that does not have availability for all dates selected, they will not see the message: Sorry, no results match your search criteria. Please change your dates and options and try searching again.

bookingStatus

This is nice customisable feature that allows you to modify the default 'Sold' term to something more enticing to promote more bookings. Terms such as Enquire | Request | or even the VIC's Contact Number are encouraged instead of the default.

Inline parameters

These are parameters that will enable the display of the operator's descriptions inline rather than a hover, which is far more mobile friendly and strongly encouraged. This would be a default feature, however cannot at present due to some clients' interpretation of the gadgets styling.

Region:

• • showRoomDetails: true
• • showRoomDetailsInline: true
• • showHoverInline: true

Item:

• • descriptionHovershow: true
• • hoverInline: true

showRoomDetails

At the Region Gadget level, you can apply a parameter that allows the user to view the operator's product on the same page rather than having to drill down to the Operator Profile and perhaps back again. When applied, and should the user select Book Now against the product itself, the user will bypass the Operator Profile altogether and be taken directly to the Booking Gadget, meaning reduced steps to actually make a reservation. If they want more information, the user can select the Operator Name and be taken to the Operator Profile as per the default process.

Should you have any questions regarding the gadgets that are not covered within this site you can contact us through the below channels.

Development team: dev@bookit.co.nz
Bookit support: support@bookit.co.nz

We understand that there are a a lot of options for the gadgets and are more than happy to offer suggestions and assistance for parameters, assist with common integration issues, and assist with any issues that may stem from an incorrect Bookit setup internally.

However, our support does not cover any issues that may arise due to your own customisations and does not include time with, or investigations by, our own developers. If you're unsure of whether your question or issue is covered within our support hours please feel free to get in touch with us regardless. We'll let you know if we're not able to assist.

If you do require our developers to investigate your integration or need additional hours on top of the included three, we can offer further support time at a charge of $170/hour ex. GST.