Connecting poetry, heritage and technology: Museum Odense boosts visitor satisfaction with NP Ecommerce
Established in 1860, Museum Odense is a state-recognized, self-governing museum organization that encompasses archeology, history, the works of the poet H.C. Andersen and composer Carl Nielsen. It offers unique cultural experiences across six venues: H.C. Andersen’s House and Childhood Home, the Funen Village, TID – Museum for Odense, Carl Nielsen Museum and Carl Nielsen’s Childhood Home. Museum Odense has 400,000 plus guests per year. The museum oversees archaeological responsibilities for Odense, Nordfyn, Middelfart, and Assens municipalities, as well as supervising protected ancient monuments and dikes across Funen. Its collection includes over 400,000 objects related to Funen’s antiquity, Odense’s history, and the lives and works of H.C. Andersen and Carl Nielsen.
In its effort to provide an exceptional experience for visitors, sparking their curiosity and offering new perspectives on the world they live in, Museum Odense chose to implement the latest version of NaviPartner’s NP Ecommerce solution. Already familiar with NaviPartner’s offerings, the museum launched a new website with webshops for all exhibitions within the Museum Odense complex. Visitors can now purchase individual tickets for each museum, as well as memberships and gift cards, directly from the webshop.
Yearly visitors
The result
The museum now operates on the latest Magento version, including all security patches and enhancements.
Revamping e-commerce at Museum Odense: NP Ecommerce, the Virgo theme, and an enhanced visitor experience
As an existing user of Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and our NP Ecommerce solution built on the Magento platform, Museum Odense required an upgraded e-commerce solution to accommodate its expanding business needs. The NP Ecommerce solution they used was running on an outdated version, thus it couldn’t support their growth and was incompatible with external integrations and modules essential for their daily operations.
Alongside the transition to the new Magento version, Museum Odense needed to implement a new theme for our NP Ecommerce solution. They selected our newly launched Virgo theme, designed for Magento Open Source 2.4.6-p5. Already popular among our existing NP Ecommerce users, the Virgo theme impressed Museum Odense with its design and ease of implementation, as seen with our other clients. Consequently, they decided to adopt the Virgo theme for their upgraded e-commerce platform.
Additionally, Museum Odense aimed to create a new webshop where visitors could purchase individual tickets for each museum. They also wanted to offer season passes (memberships), gift cards, and event tickets, while improving site navigation to ensure visitors could easily find the content they need. To better serve both local and international visitors, the museum decided to implement a bilingual website and also update their payment module to facilitate the ticket purchasing process for foreign visitors.
NP Ticketing: Simplified ticket purchasing and expanded payment options
One of the challenges the museum faced with the old website was the overwhelming number of tickets on its web page, which confused visitors who were unsure which ticket to purchase to visit their desired museum and participate in additional activities. To simplify the online ticket purchasing process, the museum now allows visitors to buy tickets specifically for their chosen museum. Each museum offers three types of tickets: an adult ticket, a child ticket for those under 18 (this ticket can only be purchased with an adult ticket, as defined in the ticket system), or a group ticket (available only for groups of more than 20 people, as specified in the online ticket purchasing system).
While the H.C. Andersen museum also offers these three main ticket, Museum Odense has also created two other ticket packages for their visitors: Tickets for Season Pass Holders in a partner site (where members of other Museums like Brandts, Naturama, etc. can get between 25% and 30% discount), and special tickets for Museum Odense’s members, where those who already have an Annual Pass, can get a free ticket of their choice to enter the H.C. Andersen museum.
A special feature of the new upgraded system for museum visitors is the introduction of various new payment options for online ticket purchases. Given that the Odense Museum is extremely popular in Denmark and attracts many visitors from around the world, having multiple payment methods was crucial. This is particularly important for visitors from Asia, who can now pay using Alipay. With the new version of the solution, museum visitors can use the following payment methods: GiftCard (previously purchased on the Museum’s webshop), Alipay, MobilePay, Credit Card, or apply a discount code received from a prior ticket purchase for another museum. Upon completing the payment, the museum visitor receives their PDF ticket via email, which includes a barcode that will serve as their entry pass to the museum.
”Our partnership with NaviPartner and their NP Ticketing solution has greatly improved our visitors’ experience by simplifying the ticket purchasing process. The new system allows us to offer clear ticket options for each museum, making it easier for guests to select the right one. The addition of multiple payment methods, including Alipay, has enhanced accessibility for our international visitors, ensuring a smooth and convenient online purchase experience.
Mia Grøndal Ulstrand, Development Consultant, Museum Odense
NP Member Management: Streamlined membership options and long-term engagement
With the upgrade of our NP Ecommerce solution, we have enhanced our NP Member Management solution used by Odense Museum to expand and enhance its member base. This update includes a refreshed design for the NP Member Management solution, enabling museum visitors to effortlessly purchase annual passes online. Moving forward, any updates or enhancements made by the NaviPartner team to the NP Member Management solution can seamlessly integrate into Museum Odense system, ensuring it operates on the latest version.
Visitors can now select from three membership types tailored to their preferences, each clearly detailing benefits such as museum access, discounts at museum shops, and potential savings at affiliated museums and cafes within the museum complex. This strategy aims to grow both membership and visitor numbers while boosting sales not only within the museums but also in associated shops and cafes. Furthermore, upon purchasing a membership online, visitors receive an email receipt which they can exchange for an official annual pass during their museum visit.
”NaviPartner’s upgraded NP Member Management solution has been a game-changer for us, providing a more streamlined and user-friendly membership experience. Visitors can now effortlessly purchase memberships online and enjoy a variety of benefits, driving increased membership and sales throughout the museum. The seamless integration with our system ensures that we are always operating with the latest features and updates.
Mia Grøndal Ulstrand, Development Consultant, Museum Odense
Gift cards: Modernized gift card ordering process for museum visitors
In addition to our NP Ticketing and NP Member Management modules, the Odense Museum also uses our Gift Card solution. With the new version of the NP Ecommerce solution, the museum now has the latest version of our Gift Card solution. Compared to the previous website, visitors can now purchase gift cards much faster by simply filling out a form on the site. They can specify the amount of money they wish to gift on the card and choose whether to receive the gift card via email or send it directly to the recipient.
If the purchaser chooses to send the gift card directly to the recipient’s email, an additional window opens where they can enter the recipient’s name, email address, and a personalized message. If the option to send the gift card to another recipient is selected, the person who filled out the form receives a confirmation email with details of the amount on the card and the recipient’s information. Meanwhile, the recipient receives a separate email with the gift card and the personalized message.
Rebook ticket: Boosting visitor satisfaction through effortless ticket rescheduling
To further enhance visitor satisfaction, the museum introduced the option to rebook tickets. This feature allows museum visitors who have purchased a ticket for a specific day but are unable to visit the museum for any reason to change their ticket for up to 72 hours before their visit. Visitors can easily change the date and time of their visit by entering the barcode and PIN code from their original ticket, which they received via email, into a form on the site. After submitting the form, they will receive a new ticket via email with the updated date and time.
This is a significant convenience for museum visitors, as it eliminates the need to go through the entire process of refunding and repurchasing a ticket. Instead, they can simply select a new date and time that suits them for their museum visit.
“The ability to easily reschedule tickets has made a huge difference, allowing guests to adjust their plans without hassle. Coupled with the simplified gift card purchasing process, these features have greatly enhanced the overall visitor experience and made our services more accessible.”
Mia Grøndal Ulstrand, Development Consultant, Museum Odense
Preparing for tomorrow: Odense Museum’s future plans with the latest Magento version and the Virgo theme
With the transition to the new version of our solution, the Odense Museum now has the latest version of Magento, complete with full security patches and platform enhancements. Alongside the new version, the museum has also implemented our new custom Virgo theme, which is fully compatible with the latest version of the Magento platform. With the new version and theme, website visitors can now more easily and quickly purchase tickets, memberships, event tickets, or gift cards on the museum’s website.
Moreover, visitors can now create their accounts on the website much more easily. The overall navigation of the website has been improved, enabling users to browse and search the site content effortlessly. Additionally, with the new version, museum visitors can utilize various online payment methods. A significant benefit is extended to visitors from Asia who prefer using Alipay, a feature that would not have been possible without the new version.
In the future, the museum aims to enhance its options for tracking visits to specific pages to gain valuable insights, helping them plan their campaigns and promotions more effectively.
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