Fred Olsen Cruise Lines was fantastic at retaining customers, but aiming to attract new ones, a web redesign improved data capture opportunities and sign-ups increased 176%.
Else started working with Fred Olsen Cruise Lines (FOCL) at the height of the pandemic, making tactical improvements to the cruise business’ website to boost bookings.
The cruise liner had even bigger ambitions, including securing 20% more bookings from customers who had cruised before but not with them, and to help deliver these Else created a five-stage roadmap for overhauling FOCL’s digital estate.
This imagined an online guest experience, from discovery through to pre-trip, which would communicate the quality of FOCL’s cruises to differentiate from competitors and build excitement. The first stage focused on refining the flow, navigation structure and visual design of the website and an immersive, rich experience was created online which engaged their target audience.
Following its launch, usage of FOCL’s website leapt 60% on the previous year, with 28% more people entering the booking flow. Friction and drop-off in the booking process were also reduced and conversions from visitors browsing the website to making a booking improved by 50%.
In the first half of 2023, digital revenue was up 157% on 2019 and significantly, 69% of online bookings were from those who had not cruised with Fred Olsen before, an increase of 25% – and the next phase of work will focus on driving even more demand into the estate.
