Cinema is a comprehensive art. Large-format, moving images and all-encompassing sound occupy 90% of the viewer’s cognitive abilities. And yet one goes to the cinema not only to watch movies.
Cinema is not only a moving image with sound. It is the smell of popcorn, twilight, muffled sounds, the softness of the armchairs. In a word, it is a whole spectrum of sensual impressions that make up the cinema experience. One can say that this experience is omnichannel by definition.
People from Multikino know their job well. They know perfectly well that you go to the cinema not only to watch a movie but to feel the overall experience. They know their customers are very demanding and expect a complete service that they can order quickly and conveniently. They know that only the omnichannel approach gives a chance to deliver an experience at an appropriate, high level.
Things got serious
So, when Multikino Vue offered us the possibility of creating an application that seamlessly combines offline and online communication channels, we immediately realized the severity of this challenge.
Creating such a solution was all the more difficult as Multikino knew perfectly what they expect from us and what effect the application should bring. We had to combine various communication and sales channels in such a way as not to disturb the coherence of the cinema experience with some unpleasant friction. We had to come up with an application that combined the interests of several partners, supported sales, helped build user loyalty, and at the same time presented the content in an attractive, modern way, without overwhelming the recipient with partner content.
Towards the common areas
Different people with different needs go to the cinema. Some want to be permanently connected to the Internet, while others look for a break from the constant information flood in the cinema. Some are online; some are offline. Opposites? Maybe – but that doesn’t mean you can’t find common parts.
Contrary to appearances, it was relatively easy. All cinema customers, regardless of age and involvement in the virtual world, have similar needs:
- They want to be able to check what is currently playing easily
- They want to buy a skip-the-line ticket
- They want to arrange a visit to the cinema with friends quickly
- They want to see when their interesting films appear on their screens
- They want to spend less and get more.
Not rocket science, isn’t it?
Risky assumptions LVL 0
The road to hell is paved with risky assumptions. Even if the hypotheses sound reasonable, they are still just hypotheses. We are interested in hard data – and Multikino has it at its disposal.
Together with YourCX agency, they have examined the cinema experience quality in detail for four long years. The day after each visit to the cinema, customers buying online tickets get a detailed survey. In this way, tens of thousands of surveys are collected monthly, and each cinema is examined in at least 20 areas and compared on an ongoing basis.
We compared these studies’ results with three leading cinema chains apps present on the Polish market.
We made a review of Polish and foreign applications to see how they meet the needs of users and where we see the potential for the development of our application
It turned out that although all three cinema chains present in Poland have their mobile applications, their functionality was inferior. The viewer can only browse the repertoire and buy a ticket. All applications are but a stripped-down version of a website. Necessary integrations were missing, e.g., with the customer’s account on the website; the application was not the “center of the experience.” The client hadn’t access to all functionalities provided in a very friendly (mobile) way.
In a word – it turned out that there is a lot of room for development.
What do we have, what do we want?
There are over 2 million customers in the Multikino database, of which nearly half have agreed to communicate and personalize the offer. In the cinema business, it is easier to encourage existing clients to more frequent visits to the cinema than to convince a new one to come to the cinema for the first time. We decided that we have to direct the new Multikino mobile application to exist customers. We need to communicate with those people who often go to the cinema.
We decided to offer them a shopping experience significantly better than that of the competition. Besides, we decided that we also need to find a strategic partner for communication and financing some of the expenses related to implementing such an ambitious task.
Multikino has been cooperating with Mastercard for years, and we decided that this project should be implemented together with them because the strategies of both parties are similar. Multikino will increase revenues from tickets and snacks, and Mastercard will show that the Masterpass wallet is a useful and convenient solution.
Features you saw already, and some that you didn’t
We had to create an omnichannel application fully integrated with the user account at Multikino.pl, online, and offline communication channels. Users were to have access to a convenient tool that facilitates the use of Multikino’s offer and provides additional benefits and Multikino – an effective solution for user value management, personalization, and optimization of marketing activities.
The result of the teamwork was exactly as expected. In seven months, we created an application that leaves the competition several lengths behind. Mutikino app is the first system for selling bar snacks in a cinema chain in Europe via a mobile application. The tight integration of online and offline channels is associated with unique functionalities that make visits to the cinema more frequent.
In the new Multikino application, you can – of course – browse the repertoire and buy tickets. But there’s much more.
A unique feature of the app is the ability to order snacks. Not only that – if one has a Mastercard card and a Masterpass wallet, but he can also count on a significant discount. Requested snacks can be picked up in the cinema hall at a dedicated stand, thanks to which one does not have to wait in line. The “I want to see” functionality allows you to mark your favorite movies and reminds you of premieres. The user can also save tickets, discounts, rebate codes, and loyalty cards in one place. Data is organized and easily accessible, even when the user is offline.
Money talks
It all looks gorgeous – but how does it work? I think we can say it out loud – it works great!
The Multikino application is the first snack selling system via a mobile application in Europe’s cinema chain. By combining online and offline channels with unique functionalities, it was possible to increase the frequency of users’ visits to the cinema.
We have created an environment in which user experiences translate into web solutions and applications, and the combination of the online and offline world has brought measurable profits. The app’s ticket sales grew by 30% (year-on-year compared to the previous version), the app started generating 15% of all online sales, and compared to all online channels, sales increased by over 10%. The application also provides almost 70% of subscriptions to “I want to see” (with ten times less traffic in the application comparing the website).
But there’s more: Every second transaction in the application contained a bar set (in comparison – on the website was every fifth transaction).
The campaign supporting the launch of the application brought one hundred thousand downloads and significantly exceeded our goals.
Quality everyone can see
The correct, complete, and well-timed response to the user’s needs is a guarantee of success. This recipe seems simple. However, we know perfectly well how much effort is needed to build an innovative solution.
Of course, we are most pleased with the customer’s satisfaction, but let’s be honest, it’s also fun to receive awards 🙂
That is why we were particularly pleased with the MIXX Awards statuette awarded to us for the Multikino application in the demanding category of Commerce. Both online and offline e-commerce, m-commerce, and e-retail solutions are competing in this category there. The omnichannel approach to the subject allowed us to win an award for an application, the results of which speak for themselves.