Omio, formerly GoEuro, is an app-based ticketing platform that enables travelers to compare and book train, bus, and flight tickets anywhere in Europe with one simple search. While Omio’s presence spans app, mobile web, and desktop platforms, the company sees its highest user engagement and ROI within the app. Omio decided to prioritize driving app installs, while ensuring the experience from desktop to mobile didn’t leave any travelers stranded. Specifically, Omio decided to leverage Branch’s Journeys and Text Me The App solutions to promote mobile app installs, and deep link users to their specific travel tickets within the app.
The Challenge:
Driving Installs & Engagement for Travel Desktop has historically ruled the travel space, with most plane, train, and automobile bookings occurring on traditional websites. The other option for travelers looking to book tickets, especially in Europe, was to spend time in long lines at kiosks.
But Omio knew mobile was changing that paradigm, and the company had a vision: To create a customer-centric travel experience that didn’t require users to be tethered to a desk or stuck in line. Instead, Omio imagined a travel experience that was focused on mobile, so traveler bookings and tickets were only a click away at any moment.
The company knew its mobile website was attracting sizeable traffic and that transitioning users into its app would create better experiences and increase engagement.
“We wanted to acquire high-quality app users, and improve their retention within the app,” said Giacomo Melandri, Mobile Marketing Manager for Omio. “In order to do that, we needed a reliable strategy for converting desktop and mobile web visitors into app users, and a way to provide them with enough value to make the transition.”
The Solution:
Branch’s Journeys & Text Me The App Drive Installs Omio quickly decided to implement Text Me The App and Journeys in order to accomplish their two biggest mobile goals.
Mastering the Mobile Web-to-App
Driving traffic from the mobile web into an app is a proven tactic for increasing the app install rates of many leading mobile brands. For Omio, f inding the perfect time and context to offer this transition mattered.
While users are on Omio’s mobile website, they are prompted to continue their experiences in the mobile app using Branch’s Journeys.
Journeys enables Omio to craft personalized, customizable, localized smart banners that drive mobile web users directly to desired in-app content, such as their travel tickets, even through the install process.
In addition, each time a user completes a booking on the mobile web, Omio offers a chance to download the mobile app on the device in use. With the ticket pre-loaded, Omio provides a clear app install incentive. This makes it more likely the user will download and engage with the app before—and after—trotting the globe.
Achieving Desktop-to-App Excellence
However, Omio knew it couldn’t solely rely on mobile web banners to drive all of its traffic to the app. The company decided it also wanted to deploy SMS messaging as a key driver of app installs.
Branch’s Text Me The App gives companies like Omio the ability to deep link users into their app. Companies typically see major increases in engagement and installs through this strategy, which incentivizes downloads, and drives users to relevant content.
Omio decided to take this strategy a step further.
Whenever an Omio user completed a travel booking on desktop, Omio used Text Me The App to prompt the user to enter their mobile phone number. Once the phone number was entered, Omio would text the user with a link to the app, where their preloaded travel tickets were waiting.
By offering real value and an immediate reward, Omio reduced friction, and gave users another reason to use its app.
The Results:
The Worldwide Seamless Customer Experience Your App Deserves Leveraging Branch’s Journeys and Text Me The App to create and test localized campaigns across web and app in major European markets has led to incredible results for Omio.
Omio was able to:
- Increase mobile app installs by 15%
- Acquire 2X more engaged app users
Creating a seamless web-to-mobile experience that was localized and incentivized for on-the-go travelers was a global win for Omio’s entire marketing approach.
