Lightframe Overview
Last updated: May 20, 2020
The Lightframe is an online booking tool developed by FareHarbor, designed to provide your customers with an intuitive, secure booking process.
How does it work?
When a specific button, item, or link is clicked, the Lightframe opens as an overlay on top of the current webpage. This allows online customers to browse and complete their reservation without ever leaving your site.
You can customize the Lightframe to open to an availability calendar, a “browse by activity” page, a specific item page, or an individual availability.
Once a customer has picked the date and time of their activity, they’ll complete their booking in the Lightframe’s secure checkout form. When finished, they can exit the Lightframe and continue browsing your website.
What are the benefits of using the Lightframe?
It’s user-friendly. From choosing a date to entering payment information, the Lightframe is laid out in an intuitive, easy-to-understand format.
It’s secure. FareHarbor and the Lightframe are securely encrypted over SSL, ensuring that all customer data is kept private. (We do recommend you also add SSL to your website, though.)
It’s optimized to sell. The Lightframe’s easy navigation and one-page layout mean customers are more likely to complete the online booking process, leading to increased conversion rates and more bookings.
It’s customizable. You can adjust the Lightframe to match different areas of your website (for example, open an all-availability calendar from your homepage, but open to a specific item’s calendar from a different page).
It can be used across the world. The Lightframe is designed to automatically detect a user’s browser locale, giving customers the option to translate the text when necessary. Users can also select their language with the Google Translate menu at the bottom of the Lightframe.
How can I add the Lightframe to my website?
To quickly and easily integrate the Lightframe into your website, get in touch with us and one of our specialists will update your website for free.
Or, if you prefer, you can add FareHarbor widgets to your website using our code generator tool in the Dashboard. Most widgets, like calendars and item grid embeds, are designed to open the Lightframe automatically.
Note: Some platforms do not support the Lightframe overlay. If you’re using one of these platforms for your website, your customers will instead be taken to a “fallback” page, which is the Lightframe accessed directly as a webpage. The booking and checkout flow on this page is exactly the same as using the Lightframe.
Why doesn’t the Lightframe show up on my mobile or touch-based device?
On a desktop computer, loading the Lightframe while also keeping your website open under it makes for the best user experience. However, this isn’t always the case with mobile devices like phones and tablets. Too many applications open simultaneously can slow down the device, making it more likely for customers to leave the booking process.
Additionally, some touch devices have trouble understanding which page you are trying to scroll when there’s an overlay on another page, such as the Lightframe.
For these reasons, users booking on certain mobile devices will instead be automatically taken to a “fallback” page, which is the Lightframe accessed directly as a webpage. The checkout flow on this page is exactly the same as using the Lightframe. This “fallback” option minimizes the chance of loading or scrolling issues, and provides an easier flow when navigating on a mobile device.
How can I get help with technical questions about the Lightframe?
If you or your developer need help setting up or troubleshooting the Lightframe, you can contact us or take a look at some of our more technical documentation: