Stansted Express/Abellio

Stansted Express/Abellio are a railway company/operator

In June 2017, Abellio approached us to audit the campaigns for Stansted Express. From the get-go, it was clear that their digital strategy had holes that needed filling so they could reach their ambitious goals

They wanted:

• An ROI of 2000%.
• To take market share for advance bookings from international and domestic customers.
• A growth agency they could rely on to pivot rapidly in response to market changes.

What we did

First up, we acted quickly to limit wasted spend on low quality traffic and hike up the click-through rate of Google ad campaigns.

We focused on the segmentation and targeting of remarketing audiences, honing in on users who are more likely to purchase. We implemented and optimised Google Ad Extensions to publicise attractive offers.

The key point, we put automation into full swing using smart bidding and Dynamic Search campaigns to drive up the conversion rate.

Optimisation of the user journey

We made use of two powerful tactics to optimise the customer experience.

Heat maps showed us that customers weren’t scrolling far down the page, and missing out on viewing all products as a result. We moved the three main products above the fold, cutting back on scrolling time and making them more inclined to purchase.

The timetables were all laid out in a single, vast landing page where the user has to search manually for a journey. We introduced a filter where customers can choose the route and date.

The results

At the end of the campaign in September 2018, we had reduced the CPA (Cost Per Acquisition) by 46%.

We also achieved:

• A conversion rate uplift of 9.68%
• A revenue increase of 19.94%
• A bounce rate reduction of 31.73%

And of course, a more strategic and functioning campaign that worked hard at every step.