VE3 designed a data-led CRM strategy to move a major UK rail operator's customers away from third-party booking platforms and into its own direct channels.
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VE3 designed a data-led CRM strategy to move a major UK rail operator's customers away from third-party booking platforms and into its own direct channels.
The core problem: A rich first-party data asset was not translating into direct revenue. Every aggregator booking meant a thinner margin, a weaker customer relationship and a missed loyalty opportunity.
Our client captures hundreds of thousands of customers through on-board and station Wi-Fi each year, collecting rich data along the way — email, marketing consent, travel class, route, location and repeat-usage patterns. Yet a significant share of these customers complete their bookings on third-party aggregator platforms rather than directly, paying higher fares and missing out on loyalty benefits.
A single customer view linking Wi-Fi, bookings, loyalty and app behaviour, ready for predictive scoring.
WhatsApp introduced as a frictionless, high-visibility opt-in channel alongside email and push.
Conversion, incremental revenue and CPA tracked end-to-end to prove ROI.
Automation and analytics designed to optimise continuously and extend to new segments.
The standout innovation was positioning WhatsApp as the hero engagement channel — always on, frequently checked and genuinely interactive. After connecting to Wi-Fi, customers could opt in with a single tap.
The first message did real work: it thanked the customer with a free-drink code, highlighted the price advantage of booking direct, invited an app download and delivered a one-time direct-booking discount. Email remained the parallel channel for those who preferred it, supported by progressive profiling to enrich segmentation over time.
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VE3 helps customer-facing organisations unify their data, design intelligent CRM journeys and prove commercial impact. Let's talk about what's possible for your business.
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