How do experience platforms turn 'maybe' into 'booked' for group outings?

Group experience bookings often fail because one person is expected to organise the event, front the money, and chase everyone else for payment.

This creates friction after the group has already decided they want to attend. Split with Maytes helps remove that friction by allowing the booking to be secured immediately while each participant pays their share separately. For experience operators, that can mean faster booking decisions, larger groups, and higher conversion rates.

Why do group experience bookings stall at checkout?

The group outing is one of the defining products of the experience economy. Birthday dinners, escape rooms, Topgolf, cooking classes, wine tours, climbing sessions, hen weekends, corporate team events. The product is the group, not the individual. Yet most checkout experiences still assume a single buyer.

One person ends up fronting the full cost for six friends and spending the next week sending reminders asking people to pay them back. That is where many bookings die, not because the group changed its mind, not because the experience was too expensive, but because nobody wanted to become the organiser.

Why is organising a group outing so difficult?

The emotional cost of organising is often higher than the financial cost of the booking itself.

In our 2025 research, 74% of people said they dislike chasing friends for money, and 68% said asking people to pay feels awkward or uncomfortable. Organisers described the experience using phrases like "I hate chasing people", "it feels awkward", and "I don't want to be the bank."

The organiser is not necessarily worried about affordability. They are worried about the admin that comes after booking. For experience businesses, this creates a familiar pattern, strong search intent, strong basket intent, then silence. The group wanted to book. Nobody wanted to carry the responsibility.

What is Split with Maytes for experience operators?

Split with Maytes allows an organiser to secure a booking without personally carrying the full cost. The organiser selects Split with Maytes at checkout, their bank places a temporary hold on the total booking value, and the booking is confirmed immediately. Friends receive a secure PayLink and pay their share using Apple Pay, Google Pay, or card. No app download and no account creation required.

Once all mates have paid their share, the hold on the organiser's card is released in full. The result is a booking that happens at the moment of group intent rather than days later, after the enthusiasm has faded and the group chat has gone quiet.

How does Split with Maytes increase conversion?

Three factors drive the impact.

1. Faster booking decisions

Groups convert when they decide, not when the last person finally transfers their money. 31% of group buyers have missed out on something they wanted because the group took too long to confirm. Reducing the delay between agreement and payment helps operators capture demand while enthusiasm is highest.

2. Larger group bookings

73% of buyers told us they would organise larger groups if Split with Maytes existed. For an experience operator, that can mean more attendees, more covers, more revenue per booking slot, and a higher average booking value, without additional acquisition spend.

3. More first-time customers

Every participant who pays their share becomes a verified customer. One booking can introduce three, four, six, or even eight new people to your brand, creating future marketing opportunities and repeat business without additional acquisition cost.

Which experience operators benefit most?

Split with Maytes is particularly relevant for businesses where group attendance is the norm rather than the exception. This includes competitive socialising venues such as Topgolf, mini golf, darts, and axe throwing, escape rooms and puzzle experiences, cooking, craft, and wellness classes, wine, brewery, and distillery experiences, adventure and fitness experiences including guided outdoor activities, and corporate and team event platforms.

If your average booking contains four or more participants and exceeds $100 in value, organiser friction is likely affecting conversion.

How does Split with Maytes affect operator payout?

From the operator's perspective, very little changes. The operator receives a single payment reference, just as they would with a standard card transaction. No split payout, no additional reconciliation, and no participant-by-participant accounting. The complexity is handled entirely within the Maytes payment flow, and operationally the booking looks like any other completed sale.

What does integration look like?

A checkout widget is added alongside existing payment methods. Implementation typically takes less than four weeks and no major changes to the checkout flow are required. Customers select Split with Maytes, complete the group payment flow, and return to the merchant checkout as they would with any other payment method.

Practical takeaways

• ✓Group experiences are fundamentally social purchases.
• ✓Organiser friction is often the biggest barrier to conversion.
• ✓The problem is coordination, not demand.
• ✓Shared payment responsibility can increase booking confidence.
• ✓Operators with larger group bookings stand to benefit most.