Merlin Annual Pass increases online sales by 14.3% with a new website

CMS websites

Client overview

Merlin Entertainments group is a leading name in the UK’s leisure and entertainment sector, providing access to an impressive array of attractions ranging from theme parks to historic sites.

The Merlin Annual Pass permits 12-month unlimited access to 32 magical locations across the UK, making it a valuable offering for families and adventure seekers alike.

The challenge

Merlin approached us with the need for a new website to enhance user experience and effectively communicate the benefits of their diverse attractions. Their existing online presence lacked clarity and cohesion, making it difficult for potential customers to navigate, leading to lost sales opportunities.

Merlin also sought to ensure that the new site was mobile-optimised to cater to the increasing number of users accessing the web via their devices. Their primary goals were improving overall customer experience, increasing sales and enhancing site performance.
“We are really pleased with the new Merlin Annual Pass website and have received great feedback from our customers. CTI led us through a discovery process which was extremely useful in terms of understanding our potential customers’ touch points online and which has ensured we have a website which is fit for purpose for our different personas. We are looking forward to beginning work on phase 2 shortly.”
— George Paige Group Head of Merlin Annual Pass

The approach

We adopted a strategic, user-focused approach to address Merlin's challenges and meet their objectives. We recognised the importance of understanding user needs in shaping an effective digital experience. We gained insights that informed our design and development decisions by conducting a thorough discovery process, ultimately leading to a more engaging and intuitive website. This focus on user experience became the foundation of our approach, ensuring that the new site would function seamlessly and speak directly to its visitors' needs and preferences.

  • Discovery process:

    We facilitated an in-depth discovery phase to identify key user journeys, allowing us to streamline the site structure for enhanced clarity and ease of navigation. The goal was to reduce the number of clicks needed to reach the booking engine to just three.

  • Optimised site structure:

    Knowing that users originate from various regions, we incorporated language translation functionalities, ensuring the site was universally accessible.

  • Mobile optimisation:

    Recognising the prevalence of mobile device usage in our target audience, we updated the site’s design to improve mobile navigation, page load speed, and clear calls to action.

  • Savings calculator:

    We introduced an interactive Savings Calculator to illustrate the value of the annual pass in a user-friendly manner. This tool allows visitors to easily compare benefits and pricing based on their planned visits.

  • Mobile optimisation:

    Recognising the prevalence of mobile device usage in our target audience, we updated the site’s design to improve mobile navigation, page load speed, and clear calls to action.

  • Passholder hub:

    The Passholder Hub serves as a central area for passholders to discover exclusive offers and events. By improving this section, we also enabled Merlin to promote partner businesses, enriching the overall value for existing and potential customers.

  • Attractions map:

    Our media-rich Attractions Map provides users with immersive information about various attractions, utilising an interactive Google Maps module that allows for personalised search functions.

The results

The newly designed Merlin Annual Pass website has proven immensely successful, yielding significant improvements across various performance metrics:
  • 50.48% of all sessions now visit the 'Buy Annual Pass' page
    9%
    Year-on-year increase
  • Site improvements lead to increased online sales
    14.3%
    increase
  • Increase in Passholder Hub sessions, nurturing customers effectively
    120%
    increase
  • Increase in traffic to Attractions Map and Information sections
    170%
    increase
  • Reduction in mobile site load time
    62%
    reduction
  • Increase in pages-per session, showing more effective engagement.
    64%
    increase

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