Abbey Box Office redesign is star performer
By: Sally Smith
March 17, 2008
In October 2007 we reported the launch of our new website for London theatre ticketing agency, Abbey Box Office. Five months on the benefits of the redesign are evident, with sales growing each month for a broad variety of shows and our Pay Per Click advertising campaign proving to be a real winner.
Before the redesign, Abbey Box Office’s sales were inconsistent and artificially inflated by TV talent shows like Any Dream Will Do, Grease is the Word and How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? Since the redesign, Abbey sales have reached, and consistently maintained, similar levels to those seen during the peak of public interest in these TV shows. With an impressive and stable monthly sales baseline, the sky is now the limit with the release of new BBC show I’d Do Anything this month. At the current rate the site will make £200,000 in its first six months: up £40,000 on the previous six months.
The use of rich graphics, informative show copy and intuitive user journeys on the new site has also affected the variety of show tickets being purchased. Previously Abbey Box Office mainly sold tickets for four big musicals; now it’s a different story with 12 shows regularly doing well, including long-running productions like Phantom of the Opera and smaller productions too. This demonstrates how increased usability and customer decision-making support on site are having a real impact on sales.
The attractive, user-friendly site is also encouraging existing customers to come back to buy tickets for further shows. Statistics reveal that approximately 15 per cent of visitors to the site are returning; and this 15 per cent are contributing to 40-45 per cent of total sales. Satisfying and retaining existing customers is therefore a vital part of Abbey’s marketing mix for 2008; with newsletters, competitions and RSS all planned.
Retention marketing should always be accompanied by acquisition to maintain sales growth. For Abbey Box Office, we search engine optimised the body copy and META data on all shows and venue pages: this has had a positive effect on the company’s natural search engine rankings for a range of terms. We are also running an extremely successful Pay Per Click campaign, which has contributed to between 35-40 per cent of sales in the first five months. The average return on investment (ROI) of the campaign each month has been a massive 1474 per cent.
Mark Aljoe, MD of Abbey Box Office is very happy with the results. “The uplift in sales has been fantastic: we are now selling more tickets for more shows than ever before. The site has also had a positive affect on our reputation, with London theatres happy to create bespoke show artwork to suit the site’s promotional banner spaces. It’s an exciting time and we’re all looking forward to what the next six months brings.”
Visit the Abbey Box Office website at www.abbeyboxoffice.co.uk
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For media enquiries please contact Sally Smith at the OTHER media. Tel: 020 7089 5959 or email sally.smith@othermedia.com
Notes to editors:
- With eleven years of digital experience, the OTHER media brings together innovative design, technology and people. We’re committed to driving the online success of our clients.
- If you would like to discuss a redesign please phone us on 020 7089 5959 or email george.crabb@othermedia.com
- Founded in 1949, Abbey Box Office is one of London’s leading theatre and concert ticketing agencies. With an allocation of seats at every West End theatre, Abbey will often have top seats when the theatre itself has sold out.
