"The SWIPE + RIDE pilot brings us a step closer to dismantling one of the main barriers to public transport use, namely the fare system. Thanks to this solution, occasional users no longer have to worry about working out the right ticket for their journey. Another key component is that our test users actively contribute to the future design of our fare model." - MVV Managing Director, Dr Bernd Rosenbusch.
FAIRTIQ provides the MVV with marketing support and helps it reach customers via multiple digital channels. The project team also worked together on measures to reduce customer churn. These include a BONUS programme as well as experimenting with different pricing models like a 'beeline' fare.
"We have built a BONUS programme into our project: After the fourth trip of the month, passengers are credited 10% of their public transport spend for that month, which they can then use to cover their travel costs over the subsequent months. We are looking to expand this customer reward system in order to attract new users while encouraging existing users to travel with us more." - Ivanka Lazinica, eFare Project Manager at MVV [speaking during FAIRTIQ's international panel discussion).
Analysing this data generates valuable insights for FAIRTIQ's public transport partners, which they can then use to improve their services and make them more customer- and demand-driven.
FAIRTIQ technology also makes it very easy to implement marketing campaigns and collect direct customer feedback. This might be a code for free journeys or direct in-app contact with the customer, as we did with the Gornergrat campaign." - Elias Blum & Luise Rohland Digital Marketing and Data Analytics at FAIRTIQ [excerpts from the Employee Spotlight interview]
Our marketing specialist Loredana Manniello explains how FAIRTIQ supports MVV's marketing efforts and the wealth of marketing opportunities that FAIRTIQ's innovative solution can offer.
FAIRTIQ: Can you briefly describe what the MVV project entails?
Loredana Manniello:
SWIPE + RIDE is the name of MVV's eFare pilot, which uses the FAIRTIQ Lab app. The FAIRTIQ marketing team supports the project stakeholders with all their marketing measures to activate and reactivate users, boost referrals and increase use.
FAIRTIQ: What automated marketing tools has the MVV pilot deployed so far?
Loredana Manniello:
Newly registered users automatically receive a welcome email outlining the key facts about SWIPE + RIDE, as well as tips and tricks for using the FAIRTIQ Lab app. Re-engagement emails targeted at inactive users are ready and waiting to be sent, just as soon as the Covid re-opening phase is under way. We also tested automated monthly reminder emails for users who were close to meeting the monthly BONUS requirements.
FAIRTIQ: How successful have these automated marketing tools been?
Loredana Manniello:
Our measures, both automated and manual, have already yielded positive results. Take the welcome email - a pretty simple tool. It has already proved effective at activating new users, in other words getting them to take their first public transport trip using the app. We are also confident that our reminder emails will soon generate the hoped-for reactivation rate among individuals who are not currently using public transport. Also, our reminder emails which are sent to users who are soon eligible for the monthly bonus have led to an uptick in the number of actual recipients of this customer reward. Of course, our emails can be automated to ensure that the message reaches customers effectively and promptly. But there is more to our automated email marketing than that. We also use emails, for example, to encourage users to recommend our app to others. This has generated good results in the past.
FAIRTIQ: Are there any other plans in the pipeline?
Loredana Manniello:
We definitely intend to launch and automate the reminder emails which I mentioned earlier. We are also looking into scaling up the bonus reminder tool.
FAIRTIQ: Why are these tools important?
Loredana Manniello:
These measures allow us to accompany users on their customer journey in a targeted way and support them with the right message at the right time when they are using our app and participating in the MVV pilot. They also allow us to stay top-of-mind with our users, which in turn has a positive effect on activation and usage rates.
FAIRTIQ: And how do you avoid users feeling bombarded?
Loredana Manniello:
We focus on providing content that is relevant to users and offers them real added value. Here too, the watchword is quality not quantity. We want to send our users the right message at the right time, which is why email automation is such a valuable tool.
You can also read our blogpost on responsible data use here or find out more on our website