In what it is calling a first for the cruise industry, Princess Cruises has introduced a Tinder-like swiping experience for mobile users interested in discovering a vacation that best meets their interests.

The use of swipe-to-like technology, which first gained attention on the Tinder dating app, is growing across a number of industries looking to simplify the discovery of new products or experiences on mobile. By combining strong full-screen visuals with easy-to-use touchscreen interactions, companies hope to ultimately drive conversions on mobile, where they have traditionally lagged on desktop.

“Our goal in creating this experience was to increase brand awareness and consideration for Princess Cruises, and we were able to do so by evoking emotion and feeling through the use of imagery,” said Shelley Wise, director of brand marketing and promotions at Princess Cruises.

“It is important for the experience to be mobile responsive to ensure users can easily share their findings across social channels with family and friends, again ultimately helping increase consideration when planning their next vacation,” she said.

“Mobile has the highest conversion rate amongst desktop and tablet.  The longer users engage with the tool or application, the stronger their retention for brand awareness remains.  Ultimately, if users spend more time engaging with our brand, they are more likely to convert and book a cruise with Princess.”

“For the most part, marketers are still building their digital experiences with a responsive Web design approach,” said Shuli Lowy, director of mobile and social media marketing at Ping Mobile.

Travel personalities
The new interactive Web site, called Places to Sea, was built for mobile users. It presents images of different destinations and asks users to swipe right on the image to indicate their approval and left to say they are not interested. Images include a jungle waterfall, a plate of cheeses, a gondola on a canal and a mountain stream.

After swiping through several images, the Places to Sea site recommends a destination and suggests what type of traveler a user is, such as an adventurer who is looking for an awe-inspiring experience. The other possible travel personalities are culturist, naturalist or foodie.

The site also recommends various cruise itineraries.

Besides being easy to use, the swipe technology brings an element of gamification as users are introduced to unexpected places and anticipate the results.

“As brands begin to shift towards a mobile first approach they begin to incorporate swiping experiences,” she said. “Swiping experiences are designed for the tactile experience of a touch screen device; they don’t work on traditional desktops and are therefore reflective of a mobile first modus operandi.

“When companies take a mobile first approach to their creative it dramatically increases their conversion rates on mobile. Consumers who come across poor mobile experience will most often leave it and find their content elsewhere.”

Easy discovery
Places to Sea was developed by the cruise line’s advertising agency, Goodby Silverstein & Partners.

The Places to Sea attempts to address the confusion that some travelers feel when researching cruises, as there are so many options and choices.

Results can be shared so groups can find a destination that best fits their needs.

“The ‘Places to Sea’ campaign is particularly well done not only because of its excellent mobile UX but also because it aligns well with the stage in the purchase funnel during which consumers use a mobile device,” Ms. Lowy said. “Consumers usually interact with mobile during the exploratory stage of their vacation planning.

“Princess Cruises is therefore giving consumers a tool to interact with their mobile content during that exploratory phase,” she said.