VVV Ameland.

A mobile-first platform that supports the entire customer journey

Welcome to Ameland, one of the beautiful West Frisian Islands off the north coast of the Netherlands. For those who want to book an accommodation and enjoy activities on this island, the tourist office ‘VVV Ameland' is the right place to kick off your day! Having worked with us for years, VVV Ameland asked us to update its online presence. We didn't need to be asked twice! Creating a more modern design that's more reflective of its identity, we built a new mobile-first platform that supports guests throughout their journey, with a booking centre, an online portal and an online store. We also made content management more user friendly and integrated ActiveCampaign for marketing automation. For details read on!

The new VVV Ameland is a multilingual mobile web app and native app that:

makes smart use of mobile technologies such as GPS and QR codes
allows visitors to discover the island through content on social walls
provides the assistance people want, in the way that suits them
includes an online portal so guests can find their booking details
includes an online store with products to help guests plan or revisit their stay on the island
is integrated with ActiveCampaign so VVV Ameland can gain more insight into its target audience and personalise the entire customer journey

To discover the island for yourself, visit vvvameland.com

Switching things up.

To better meet the needs of its target audience, VVV Ameland decided to completely redevelop its digital platform, both front end and back end.

First, we migrated all of the content to the new platform, so VVV Ameland continues to achieve strong search engine rankings as the host organisation on Ameland. Besides facilitating online bookings, VVV Ameland also sends guests relevant content throughout their journey. Articles, pictures, videos and social walls provide inspiring and practical information so guests can learn more about the island and make the most of their stay.

The new more modern-looking platform has improved navigation and a search-and-book module that is more in keeping with the website. Behind the scenes, content management is more streamlined. The latest version of the MODX content management system allows VVV Ameland to easily create pages with content blocks, add products to its online store, crop and resize images and convert them to the right format for any device. And last but by no means least, the integration of ActiveCampaign’s marketing automation capabilities converts virtual visitors into actual guests.

Mobile-first design.

If the majority of your visitors arrive via mobile devices, it is essential to deliver an excellent experience on this small screen. Your website needs to be mobile-first for people to access it anywhere, anytime. Therefore, in redesigning the website, we adopted a mobile-first approach. We also added key features so people can use their phones to show and scan coupons, quickly check the tide table, look up ferry times, see live webcam footage of the beach, find location-based content, and scan QR codes on walking and cycling routes to read information about the island.

Progressive web app.

In terms of functionality, today’s progressive web apps behave more and more like native apps. So for VVV Ameland, we created a progressive web app that increases the mobile-friendliness of its already mobile-first website. This makes the website even more responsive and allows visitors to add the web app to the home screen of their phone and use mobile technologies such as location-based services and QR code scanning on the QR route on Ameland.

Unlike native apps, progressive web apps do not need to be installed. Users can simply type the website into in Google or any other browser to use awesome features such as discount coupons, tide tables, live webcams, help and bookings on the go.

Offline use through the native app.

In order to remain easy to find in app stores in addition to the search engines and to make the app usable offline, we have added an extra layer to the progressive web app. This layer ensures that we can convert the progressive web app into a native app that can be downloaded in the app stores. Additionaly, we have applied the mandatory AppTrackingTransparency Framework for the iPhone app, so that users have more control over their personal data. With these native apps, VVV Ameland can be found and used online everywhere. And best of all? Because the app and the web app are the same, content management is super efficient!

Do you also want to have the Ameland Guide at hand everywhere? Download the app:

For Android

For iOS

VVV Ameland and Travelbase booking database

Central booking database.

We also introduced VVV Ameland to Travelbase, a central booking system that lists all accommodations and activities on Ameland with details, prices, availability and reviews. So VVV Ameland can now manage all data in one place. All this data is sent to multiple integration partners and the mobile website, so VVV Ameland always shows reliable pricing and availability.

Activities at a glance.

After discovering the island online and booking their accommodation, visitors can start planning their stay. The great filter options on the VVV Ameland activities and events calendar make it easy to quickly find out what activities are on each day and how to get there.

Social walls.

Before you know it, experiences you share online through social media are displayed on one of VVV Ameland’s social walls. A social wall displays the best posts, photos, and videos from multiple social networks. This encourages people to engage with the content and initiates conversations with the target audience.

The social walls on VVV Ameland allow potential guests to discover the island through the eyes of other visitors. All posts with a specific hashtag are sent to a social inbox. The best of these posts are displayed on VVV Ameland’s social walls, one of which is dedicated to VVV Ameland’s own social media posts.

And #vuurtorenvrijdag (#lighthousefriday) doesn’t just show the best pictures of the Ameland lighthouse on Instagram but also on its own web page.

Help just a click away.

Guests who need help or have questions about their booking can contact VVV Ameland by email or through the contact form. They can also call, chat or drop in. This allows them to seek the service they need the way they prefer. Help is just a click away! And if VVV Ameland is not available to chat, the chat option is automatically removed from the navigation bar, so web visitors know what to expect.

Unique booking portal.

Once visitors have booked their stay on Ameland, it is helpful to have the booking details to hand. So VVV Ameland includes a unique portal where guests can view their booking confirmation, download booking documents and find payment details. Those who want to leave a review after their stay can also do this through the online portal.

Online store.

The VVV Ameland online store sells maps, guidebooks and magazines as well as Ameland merchandise and gift items. It also sells gift vouchers for a stay on Ameland, so visitors can introduce their friends and family to this beautiful island.

User-friendly content management.

To enable VVV Ameland to manage all this content across multiple channels, we built everything with MODX 3.0. This new and improved version of the MODX content management system makes it possible to build a set of content blocks so VVV Ameland can create a new (landing) page in no time, using ImageCropper tools to crop and resize images. All images are automatically converted to the right format for Google, so the website stays lightning fast. And the best part? The website, online store and online portal are all managed in one place.

Target audience insight with ActiveCampaign.

We also introduced VVV Ameland to ActiveCampaign, a marketing automation toolkit that can be used to quickly generate new forms, manage the chat, create and send newsletters and run automations. The built-in CRM system automatically saves all contact data and interactions, so VVV Ameland can segment customers and personalize content. With ActiveCampaign fully integrated with MODX, VVV Ameland can add any form created in ActiveCampaign to the content management system so the form is immediately displayed in the right design.

Proactive personalized content.

Data entered on forms and saved in ActiveCampaign helps VVV Ameland better understand the unique journey of each guest. VVV Ameland can then provide each guest with the right information at the right moment. Each guest automatically receives helpful information about the island before they set off. During their stay, they receive information about activities and booking details, and at the end of their stay they can leave a review. By ensuring that each guest can always quickly access the information they need, VVV Ameland provides the best possible customer experience.

Learn more about PWA!

And discover how easy it is to manage your PWA and other channels in the MODX CMS? Schedule a meeting with Bas, and he'll tell you all about it!