The power of the QR code
Kinepolis felt the need for more interaction with its target audience. Customers can now buy their tickets online or at a booth in the movie complex and they can find all the information on the Kinepolis website. But, since there is little to no interaction, Kinepolis felt they were sitting on a heap of information that got lost or was neglected. To tackle this challenge, Kinepolis paced QR codes at the back of every seat. This QR code leads you to the web app MovieNow. An application that opens up the interaction between customer and movie theatre.
This innovative solution sets Kinepolis apart from other movie theartres and demonstrates its commitment to providing customers with a unique and interactive experience.
Creating more customer interaction
Bjorn Van Reet, Chief Information Officer, remains very committed to digitalization within Kinepolis. By integrating several features into the web app, Kinepolis can provide a more interactive experience for its customers. You know that feeling when you're in the movie theater and you feel insanely triggered by one of the trailers before your actual movie starts? That excitement quickly ends when you can't seem to remember what the title of that movie was or when you will be able to watch it. Well, Kinepolis came up with a solution to that struggle! MovieNow's first feature is adding your favorite trailers to your wishlist. Before this idea came along, you had to remember the trailers you liked to watch the movie when it came out. With MovieNow, you get a custom view of the trailers in your theater. You can like these and set a notification for when the movie comes out in the theater.
The second feature is ‘My Kinepolis Benefits’. This will be an overview of the benefits you get from a MyKinepolis account, and you’ll have the option of creating an account if you don’t have one yet. In the future, you can find and do even more in the web app.
No download, no delay
We chose a PWA for this project because it matches best the requirements Kinepolis had for this product. Although a PWA is still a little unknown, yet it has many advantages. The biggest advantage is that a progressive web app gives you a native look and feel with the functionalities of a web app. And, of course, you don't have to download anything.
Here are the most important advantages:
The customer doesn't have to go through the app store. Because the underlying is a web app, the entry threshold is very low. The app can be accessed simply via the QR code.
Very fast iterations are possible (important for MVP). Because you use web technology, you don't have to develop for Android and iOS separately, and secondly, you don't have to go through the review procedure for Android/iOS.
In this case: Using the same technology as for the Kinepolis gift shop allowed us to reuse components and logic.
The follow-up story to this project
Our partnership with Kinepolis has been running since 2012. And because we already have a long-term partnership with Kinepolis, this project went smoothly. Our colleagues quickly implemented improvements and expansions to come to the MVP. The collab went very smoothly and pleasantly. Thanks to our agile project approach, the collaboration was smooth and pleasant.
Meanwhile, we are still working on the Kinepolis giftshop, and are also ready to enhance the MovieNow app with new features.