Lessons learned from Diergaarde Blijdorp part 2: digital transformation meets a roaring purpose

Building trust, maintaining a positive reputation, and effectively communicating your message to your customers all depend on one thing: consistency. And the cornerstone of a consistent customer experience (CX) lies in establishing a strong foundation. Without a brand foundation, you’ll end up with inconsistent products that confuse your customers and will eventually lose their trust. 

That's precisely why, after revamping Blijdorp's brand strategy, we took on the challenge of revamping their website and creating an app to build consistency across all touchpoints their visitors interact with. 

But we couldn’t stop there, and we won’t. Within their digital ecosystem, we’ve ensured that Blijdorp has the perfect mixture of technology, creativity, and strategy. This powerful combination allows Blijdorp to scale up sustainably and take their mission to new heights. Let’s get into it.

In case you missed it, in part one I talked about how we rebranded Blijdorp. And much like that, it was clear to Blijdorp that their digital ecosystem needed a refresh to reflect their new mission. We’ve dedicated ourselves to revamping their website and creating an app that educates and creates awareness around wildlife conservation. 

Blijdorp’s new website achieves three objectives: create awareness, elevate the user experience (UX), and generate alternative revenue streams. It goes beyond a typical zoo site by offering a digital journey that showcases conservation and delivers a ‘wow’ experience.

The website offers visitors a more enhanced UX with an easy-to-follow navigational flow and visuals that encourage visitors to get excited about wildlife. Natural animations and interactive elements are incorporated to engage visitors. 

Storytelling is a focal point on the digital platform to convey Blijdorp's commitment to species conservation and nature restoration. Features such as an event calendar enhance the overall visitor experience, providing information from ticket purchases to park exploration. Have a look at their sleek new website yourself  - happy scrolling! 

The app is designed to prepare the visitors’ stay and create the best day possible at Blijdorp with features like an interactive map and walking routes. The app also serves as an educational tool for wildlife conservation and encourages visitors to take action to support environmental improvement efforts, regardless of their physical location. 

Our work for Blijdorp’s digital transformation has been a roaring success, paving the way for even more exciting ventures, so be sure to keep an eye out!

Without a doubt, digital technology is no longer a luxury, but rather a fundamental necessity to business growth and sustainability. Choosing the right technologies and having a well-defined roadmap is key to digital transformation. Not to mention, in this dynamic digital landscape, challenges evolve as brands scale, which is why our strategic partnerships with technology providers have been invaluable for Blijdorp’s journey.

Adobe is one of the technologies that we’ve harnessed to create design elements within a centralized design hub. Having a single source of truth ensures a cohesive visual identity, and guarantees that Blijdorp’s mission will always be communicated effectively, no matter the department releasing and creating content. 

Along with Adobe, our team has used Prismic and React to create the future-proof digital ecosystem. Prismic is a headless content management system (CMS) that offers flexibility to our developers in creating and customizing websites and online platforms. React works alongside Prismic and is recognized for its developer-friendly nature. 

These two platforms have allowed us not only to enhance and scale Blijdorp’s CX but also effectively communicate their mission and actively involve their audience in their conservation efforts.

"At Prismic, seeing DPDK work their magic on the Blijdorp site has been awesome. They've used our platform to create an engaging, user-friendly website that also empowers the Blijdorp content team to take charge of their digital presence. This is exactly how we envision our technology empowering brands to stand out and grow." - Nouha Chhih, Head of Marketing at Prismic

Our partnership with Blijdorp has brought about a transformative journey with a profoundly positive global impact. In an era overshadowed by climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental challenges, this collaboration serves as a beacon of hope, demonstrating the power of partnerships to bring forth positive change, promote sustainability, reconnect people with nature, and drive innovation. Looking ahead, such collaborations hold the key to addressing societal and planetary challenges. 

For now, I’ll leave you with this: the best of Blijdorp is yet to come, the future of nature, on the other hand, relies on what is done today. 

Is your brand prepared to shape and inspire action for a sustainable tomorrow? Download our guide to learn from none other than the driving force in species conservation and nature restoration.