15below
to build new site
reduction in sales cycle from the average
Highlights
When COVID-19 stopped travel overnight, travel technology company 15below needed to quickly pivot.
With events cancelled for the year, so too was 15below’s biggest source of prospect leads. Plus, its inflexible site made it hard to quickly engage pandemic-aware visitors.
Drupal CMS, Acquia Site Studio
15below built its site within 10 days, and its small team created and ran the three most successful campaigns in the company’s history during the pandemic, netting 2 new customers within 3 months, reducing the sales cycle 83% from the average.
The Client
15below is a privately owned software development company that specializes in passenger communications for the travel industry. The company gives over 50 airlines, rail and other travel companies the technology to deliver targeted, personalized and automated notifications to their customers from booking to arrival and beyond.
The Situation
Like many organizations, 15below’s business was going great and the future looked bright until COVID-19 came along. Overnight, travel stopped, and each one of the company’s customers faced a major crisis, resulting in tens of thousands of people around the world being furloughed or losing their jobs. Thousands of passengers needed to be made aware that their travel plans were being cancelled, but 15below’s day-to-day points of contact were no longer employed. And to make matters worse, the vast majority (around 70%) of 15below’s prospect leads came from events, which were canceled for the remainder of 2020. It was clear the company needed to quickly pivot.
The Challenge
15below turned to its digital partner, Coherence, for help in embarking on an entirely new digital transformation strategy. The company’s previous site was inflexible, blocking its ability to pivot and engage its pandemic-aware visitors. While traffic continued coming to the site, engagement was low and conversion non-existent. The company needed a site with foundations that would allow it to become agile as a business.
The Solution
15below worked with Coherence to implement Acquia Site Studio along with a new CMS: Drupal.
The new design system enabled rapid publishing and conversion rate optimization, both backed by an integrated data strategy. 15below’s team was able to build content and adapt messaging quickly and easily, providing updated site messaging to help support the travel industry and its new challenges. From new landing pages to email campaigns, 15below pivoted its entire digital strategy.
The Results
The site was built in 10 days, allowing 15below to turn the challenge of COVID into an opportunity. Within weeks of the site being built, the small 15below team created and ran the three most successful campaigns in the company’s history. Specifically:
- Campaign 1 directed visitors to a new landing page with a form, allowing the company to promote the offering across the site and other digital channels, and track engagement.
- 127 visits to the landing page
- 14 MQLs
- 2 new customers within 3 months, shrinking the sales cycle 83% from the average
- Campaign 2 shared pre-departure communications best practice guidance with 15below’s database.
- 700 visits to the landing page
- 2 form completions
- 26 inbound inquiries via email
- 1 new product upsell to an existing customer
- 2 others in the pipeline
- Campaign 3 shared a demo of 15below’s platform with its database.
- 22 visits to the landing page
- 6 MQLs (inbound)
- 2 SQLs in the current pipeline
At a time when 15below had lost a number of clients due to the pandemic, winning new clients was a fantastic achievement that could not have been possible without the speed and agility afforded by Acquia Site Studio.