Kings Langley, Herts., 20 February 2014 – After five years in operation, News UK has today announced the re-design of www.mytimesplus.co.uk, a highly-advanced new version of the Times+ platform. First launched back in 2008, the customer loyalty platform was introduced in support of The Times and The Sunday Times’ subscription package. Today, the two titles offer services to upwards of 360,000 members, providing a multitude of offers and promotions. The new version of the platform, launched earlier today, provides users with a far superior experience to that of its predecessor. The re-design, delivered by Clock, saw improvements to the overall customer experience and site’s infrastructure.
Detailed analysis of the previous website highlighted that 45% of users were accessing the site via mobile or tablet. The sleek and scalable new site has not only realigned the platform with new branding, but it has also undergone a key move to a responsive platform to better support mobile and tablet users. The new flexible web-design adapts to suit the viewing device with regards to format and content placement, therefore allowing for a highly optimised experience. Deep customer insights were also applied to enhance the overall customer journey and help boost member acquisition and retention rates. Additional features include;
• The introduction of geospatial location services provide consumers with the distance between their postcode and offer locations.
• The events section of the site was bought to life through live streaming and event video archives, designed to service those who were unable to attend the live event.
Claire Gribben, Head of Times+ at News UK, said: “Times+ was the first newspaper loyalty programme in the UK and is now an integral part of a membership to The Times and Sunday Times. With over 360,000 subscribers to engage, the new Times+ platform provides our members with an improved user experience accessible via PC, tablet and smartphone.”
Utilising fresh-innovative technology played its part in replacing the existing architecture. A technical migration from PHP to the highly advanced Node.js, technology originating in Silicon Valley, was introduced to allow for both greater scalability and increased server capacity. The transition would ensure that the site could accommodate the publications growing subscription base, and therefore the growing demand on their respective servers. Clock is a leading Node.js agency and an established educator on the technology. By bringing its digital offering in line with such modern technology, News UK is now equipped with a state of the art customer loyalty platform that is structurally viable and able to withstand healthy growth for the foreseeable future.
“We are delighted to be partnering with News UK on another exciting launch following the success of Sun Perks and Retail+. News UK is leading the way, delivering world class customer loyalty experiences and at the same time helping to evolve the digital publishing space. This is perfectly aligned to Clock’s core competencies and values; we build experiences people love,”