Introduction.
Springfield Retreat, a caravan park located in rural Devon, catering to touring caravans, motorhomes, and static ownership, aspired to transition into a full holiday lodge ownership model.
This required a website that could cater to both existing customers and attract potential buyers interested in lodge home ownership.
The primary goal of the website redesign was to establish an aspirational online presence capable of serving dual purposes: continuing to support the current business model while paving the way for the future vision of holiday lodge home ownership, and selling the dream off-plan.
Challenge.
Dual Audience: The website needed to appeal to both current patrons of the caravan park and prospective lodge buyers.
Finding a balance to address both groups' needs without alienating either was a significant challenge.
Selling the Dream: With the holiday lodge development being sold off-plan, the website had to effectively communicate the vision and lifestyle Springfield Retreat aimed to offer, making the intangible tangible.
Information Architecture: The challenge was to design a website structure that could seamlessly guide users to relevant information, whether they were looking for a holiday stay or interested in lodge ownership.
Visual Representation: The absence of physical lodges to photograph required creative visual solutions to inspire and engage potential buyers.
Solutions:
- Strategic Design: We adopted a visually driven design strategy that captured the essence of the Springfield Retreat experience, commissioning high-quality, aspirational imagery and virtual tours to evoke a sense of place and possibility.
- Content Strategy: A dual-path content strategy was developed to allow visitors to easily find information relevant to their interests, whether booking a stay or exploring lodge ownership opportunities.
- Virtual Tours and Renderings: To sell the lodge ownership dream off-plan, detailed virtual tours and artist renderings of the lodges and their surroundings were created, enabling potential buyers to visualise themselves in the space.
Implementation:
Phased Approach: The website redesign was executed in stages, initially updating to support current operations and gradually introducing lodge ownership elements.
User Experience (UX) Design: A user-friendly experience was emphasised, with intuitive navigation and clear calls-to-action (CTAs) guiding users toward exploring lodge ownership opportunities.
SEO and Content Marketing: We optimised the site for search engines and developed a content marketing strategy to highlight lodge ownership benefits and the lifestyle at Springfield Retreat, attracting organic traffic.
Results:
Increased Engagement: The website saw a significant increase in user engagement post-launch, with longer visit durations and higher interaction in the lodge ownership sections.
Leads Generation: The site effectively generated leads for the lodge ownership program, with a notable percentage of inquiries progressing to advanced sales stages.
Brand Perception: The aspirational redesign enhanced the brand's perception, positioning Springfield Retreat alongside luxury holiday experiences and attracting a higher caliber of potential buyers.
"BFN is an exceptional agency. They didn't just redesign our website; they tailored it to our business goals"
Will Jones, Owner, Springfield Retreat.
Conclusion:
The Springfield Retreat website redesign successfully bridged the gap between its current state and its aspirational future as a premier holiday lodge destination.
Through strategic design, content strategy, and a focus on user experience, we catered to dual audiences, sold the dream off-plan, and set Springfield Retreat on a path to realising its full potential as a holiday lodge ownership location.
Future Steps:
Continued success will rely on ongoing content updates to reflect development progress, targeted digital marketing campaigns to attract potential buyers, and user experience optimisations based on visitor feedback and analytics.