A new-look Virgin Atlantic website homepage was revealed today (Thursday, Feb 29) ahead of plans to beef up the airline’s digital capabilities.
Revamped homepage heralds new digital age for Virgin Atlantic
A new-look Virgin Atlantic website homepage was revealed today (Thursday, Feb 29) ahead of plans to beef up the airline’s digital capabilities.
The site redesign is part of the carrier’s digital strategy which also includes mobile and social media.
More than half of the site is now live in the new design and the airline will continue to work on the remaining pages over the coming months.
Rather than a lengthy list of options, the whole site is now only a click away from any page, the airline claims.
The new landing pages, such as travel information, draw on layout more commonly seen in the contents pages of magazines.
More visuals have been introduced in a way which it says moves away from the traditional aviation functional approach to web design.
A content strategy has been established to ensure that FAQs and contextual help are used to complement page content not duplicate it.
Regular passengers acted as beta testers to help evolve the site over the development period.
The key functions they felt were most important in an airline website were ease of use, wealth of information, quick booking mechanism, stylish design and easy-to-find contact information.
Virgin Atlantic head of e-business Alison Wightman said: “Visiting an airline website shouldn’t just be about booking a ticket, checking in online or picking a seat.
“It’s the start of a holiday and when you’re travelling with Virgin Atlantic, it’s as much about the journey as the holiday itself.
“We wanted to tap into that mood and get customers excited about their next trip. We think it’s time someone shook up the rule book for airline websites, and who better to do that than Virgin Atlantic.”
She added: “We have tested the site thoroughly yet we know the process hasn’t finished yet.
“We want to continuously improve and innovate to be responsive to evolving customer needs.
“We are using website analytics data on how visitors navigate the site as well as ‘rate the page’ feedback and an onsite survey with our partners eDigital, to ensure we continue to understand how our site is used and listen to the voice of our customers.
“The science is in looking at the web analytics, competitor analysis, onsite survey results and the brand collateral available and producing an online experience second to none in our sector.”
Digital agency LBi has been employed to work on the project.
