Carnival Cruise Line Australia Launches Progressive Web App from Mobify to Speed Booking Flow

VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - Jul 26, 2017) -  Carnival Cruise Line Australia has launched a modern mobile website with fast page loads to enable guests to move quickly through the booking flow, and even continue browsing with little to no connectivity. The site also features real-time web push notifications to notify passengers of important news and offers. The new website is a Progressive Web App (PWA), built on the Mobify® Platform and delivered through Mobify implementation partner 64labs. It is one of the first of its kind in Australia and in the travel industry worldwide to be built on the state-of-the-art PWA technology that analysts say is the future of the mobile web.

"Guests can simply open the website and start browsing our locations and cruises, without having to download an app," said Angela Diamant, Digital Marketing Lead at Carnival Cruise Line Australia. "Pages load quickly and you can keep browsing even when connectivity is patchy or offline. Passengers will also be able to opt in to receive push notifications of special offers and other timely, personalized content. Mobify and 64labs delivered a mobile solution that is perfect for our customers and a leadership offering for our industry."

Carnival Cruise Line, one of the world's largest travel-leisure companies with more than four and half million guests travelling every year, has two ships deployed in Australia with a record number of more than 70 sailings planned from Sydney and Melbourne in the coming year. While customers are increasingly reliant on mobile devices, Carnival Cruise Line had no mobile optimised website for Australian customers -- but they did have the benefit of a longstanding partnership with Mobify in the United States. Last year the U.S. mobile site became one of the first to use real-time web push notifications through its partnership with Mobify, Carnival Cruise Line Australia began exploring mobile web options earlier this year. Web push notifications are an ideal alternative to email, especially for the travel industry, which relies on timely information. Web push notifications typically have much higher click-through rates than email -- in Carnival U.S.'s case, a 42% open rate, as detailed in a Google case study.

"The success of web push notifications in the U.S. opened our eyes to how Mobify could help us deliver the fast page speeds and app-like experiences we wanted without having to drive app downloads," said Diamant.

According to Forrester Research's report, Reinvent The Web To Win The Mobile Moment, "Few customers and even fewer prospects will use your app -- but they will visit your website on their phones... As a digital business professional, it's time to start over and build progressive, app-like mobile web experiences," the report recommends.¹

As a web-based site, the new Carnival Cruise Line Australia Progressive Web App offers multiple benefits:

• It's a modern web experience, purpose-built for fast browsing on smartphones and ready to leverage the ecosystem of new technologies emerging in mobile.
• It's searchable via the mobile web, where most traffic originates, so customers looking for a holiday option are more likely to discover what Carnival has to offer at a lower "cost of discovery" than via a native app.
• It can be added to the homepage and works offline, using cached data from earlier online activity, so customers can keep browsing, even when the connection is low or non-existent.
• It works on all devices independent of browser and is designed for "frictionless engagement" using Mobify best practices for engaging visual designs and seamless customer navigation paths.

"Customers and would-be travellers are spending an increasing amount of time on mobile phones and shopping for amazing and affordable holiday options. With our new PWA and partnership with Mobify, we've been able to deliver the best possible mobile experience on time and on budget," said Diamant.

For more on Progressive Web Apps and Mobify's mobile commerce work read:

• Everything You Need to Know About Progressive Web Apps for Ecommerce
• Mobify's case study on developing a smooth mobile purchase path for Carnival U.S.
• Google's case study on Carnival Cruise Line's web push notifications

About Mobify
Mobify is the #1 provider of Progressive Web Apps for ecommerce for retailers and brands that want to close the gap between desktop and mobile conversion rates, keep up with customer expectations and win loyal customer relationships. The Mobify Platform delivers a unified customer experience across mobile web and apps, while building customer relationships through push notifications and store drivers. Leading global brands including Lancôme (Mobile Commerce winner 2017 Internet Retailer Excellence Awards), Crabtree & Evelyn, Paula's Choice, Carnival Cruise Line, London Drugs, Burlington, PureFormulas, Superdry, Columbia, eXtra Electronics, and ThinkGeek generate extensive revenue through the Mobify Platform and rely on Mobify to grow their customer lifetime value. www.mobify.com

Mobify® is a registered trademark of Mobify. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

¹ Forrester Research: Reinvent The Web To Win The Mobile Moment, January 2017.