Challenge

Riviera opened a second movie theater at the end of 2022 alongside its popular first-born. When the Punavuori theater opened and thus the entire operation doubled, the website’s usability challenges also increased. Manually operated systems were in need of renewal of technical solutions and automation.

In addition, there were areas for improvement in the reservation process, both in terms of ticket sales and private events, and there was a lot of unused potential, especially in the use of visual material and automatically updated prices. The goal was to create a movie browsing experience that guides the customer to press the buy button.

Our task was to:

1. Add a new theater to the website and booking system
2. Increase the appeal of the movie selection and make it easier to browse movies
3. Develop an enviable user experience

Creative idea

The film industry is a dream business of content, since there is always the best possible image and video material in hand. The example for the new site was sought from streaming services that serve their content efficiently.

The main creative concept was to set up a candy store for cinemas, where the sweetest movie selection gets the attention it deserves. We gave the main role to the user experience, so that the Riviera’s unique service remains intact all the way from booking to the movie experience itself.

What changed?

1. Films and shows are displayed more compelling than before
2. Clearer booking process, also for the private events
3. Better optimization of the website
4. Mailchimp integration as part of the booking process

The technical implementation of the online service is based on the open-source WordPress system, which enables easy management and maintenance of content and products, as well as full adaptability to the customer’s needs.

The movie profiles were easily transferred to the new site via a third-party service, where we integrated the new site. Movies entered in this way are updated on the Riviera website in a few minutes. By utilizing the same interface, we implemented user-friendly filtering for selecting both films and screenings.

In the implementation, we also considered technical search engine optimization, the speed and usability of the site on all the most common devices, and the design of the structure through analytics and monitoring.

“The site stands up even to international comparisons due to its uniqueness.”

Results

Transitions from Google to Riviera’s pages 43 700*
Organic traffic increased on the site by 25%**
Time spent on site increased by 32%**
Website usability: Google Lighthouse, Performance: Desktop: 97/100 (+32.9%), Mobile: 61/100 (+96.8%)
Customer experience NPS → 91
Growth in ticket sales: Due to the increase in theater capacity, the number is not comparable

*Google Search Console period 1.11.22-31.12.22
**Google Analytics period 1.11.21-31.12.21 cf. 1.11.22-31.12.22

Customer feedback

“Buying tickets online in advance went smoothly. The e-mail that came on the morning of the movie night mentioning about the possibility of ordering food in advance, was a pleasant surprise.”

“Thank you very much for a great movie experience! Everything worked from start to finish, from the booking to the closing credits. I hope you continue on the same path and take care of your great concept.”

“Thank you, it was such a wonderful date night. Great setting and good service. And it’s amazing that your website has developed!!”