Objective of the project
Since their launch in 1993, Wanderlust has sought to redefine how adventurers explore the world. They have always had premium, beautifully designed print editorial, but their website failed to meet the impeccable standards set by print at times. The website was around a decade old, creating a technical debt for the brand. The content, layout and build were outdated and didn’t effectively reflect the ambition of such a visually aspirational brand.
It was crucial for Wanderlust to appoint the right partner for their complete digital overhaul. After a competitive pitch, leading web design and development agency Kitty were appointed to transform user experience and set a new benchmark for online travel content. Kitty are known for their artistic and innovative web designs, paired with a rigorous focus on site performance and robust functionality, so were perfectly placed for the brief.
Approach taken
Following a thorough Discovery phase, Kitty could align with the vision of the Wanderlust team and establish the steps that the design and build journey would take.
The strategy involved user-centric design and strategic technical implementations that would be needed to lead to a successful website redesign and build.
Due to the complexity of the project, Kitty underwent an in-depth and sophisticated IA and UX phase, so that they could clearly outline the optimum user journey, site structure and navigation.
This would include over 100 custom content blocks being designed and built, as well as enhanced multimedia support to ensure the images and videos were showcased at the highest quality to truly immerse the user into the adventure or destination.
A key element of the brief was improving Wanderlust’s online subscription service, so Kitty implemented an advanced Integrated Subscription Management model. This enabled the management of Wanderlust subscriptions to be much more streamlined and automated, as well as an improved user journey. Kitty were also responsible for their Google Ad Manager Integration ensuring seamless automation of ad placements and management.
As with any web project Kitty take on, Kitty ensured that the site was fully optimised for Search, with the support of their sister agency ROAST. This included extensive pre-launch checks and redirect implementations.
Results achieved
- Modern, Intuitive User Experience: Reflects premium nature of the Wanderlust brand.
- Advanced Functionalities: Robust content management and seamless migration.
- Optimised Performance: Fast loading times and solid foundation for future growth.
- Increased Engagement: +33.7% increase in views per user, 6.8% increase in views per session.
Traffic Analysis
- 4.5% increase in sessions.
- +33.7% increase in views per user.
- 6.8% increase in views per session.
Rob Knight, MD of Kitty said, “The standards upheld by Wanderlust are, quite rightly, second to none. They create outstanding content, so we knew how crucial it was that we created the perfect online destination of choice for the Wanderlust audience. I’m so thrilled to say the site is now much more aligned to their beautiful print publications, as well as being a high performing website from a functionality perspective. I’m incredibly proud of this project.”