Transport for Wales – Creating an App for Travel

Sartorius Digital has been working with Transport for Wales for the past six months, and even at this early stage, the results have been impressive.

We were tasked with overhauling the existing marketing strategy to improve performance, increase website traffic, refine geographical targeting, and deliver a strong return on investment. We achieved this through a range of initiatives, including PPC management, affiliate marketing, CRM strategy, and the launch of a new TfW app.

Following a review of the brand's underperforming PPC activity, it became clear that the existing approach was neither cost-effective nor targeting the right geographical areas. Working alongside a media buying agency, we developed and implemented a new PPC strategy focused on keyword analysis, aligning campaign objectives with business goals, increasing train ticket sales to pre-COVID levels, and supporting the organisation's post-pandemic recovery strategy.

The new approach delivered a 10:1 ROI and significantly increased website traffic.

Our management of the affiliate marketing programme generated a 6:1 ROI while increasing brand awareness and extending the reach of the Transport for Wales brand. As part of this work, we also developed an influencer marketing pilot campaign to support post-COVID recovery. This formed part of a wider content strategy that included referral traffic generation, backlink acquisition, and audience engagement across multiple digital channels.

Digital channels alone generate £7–8 million in annual revenue, with the client sending almost two million customer communications each year for both informational and commercial purposes. Customer records within the CRM system continue to grow by approximately 1,000 new opted-in contacts each month. We provided strategic guidance on CRM management, helping Transport for Wales maximise data collection and utilisation across its digital channels.

Previously, the Transport for Wales app was owned by Trainline, meaning the client had limited access to customer data and insights. This restricted opportunities to optimise performance, personalise communications, and strengthen customer relationships. To address this, we oversaw the launch of a new TfW app, providing greater control over customer data and digital assets while supporting broader business objectives.

The PPC campaigns, CRM communications, social media content, and supporting marketing assets were all developed and managed by Sartorius Digital, ensuring a consistent brand message and a fully integrated digital marketing approach.

In addition to creating a behaviour-change-led adoption strategy for the new app, we managed the creative development, digital advertising, and performance monitoring. The data delivered immediate and measurable results. The previous app achieved 73,000 downloads over a three-year period. By comparison, the new TfW app achieved 60,000 downloads within just three months of launch.

These results demonstrate the impact of a data-driven digital strategy, combining performance marketing, customer engagement, and digital transformation to deliver measurable commercial outcomes. As our partnership with Transport for Wales continues, we remain focused on driving further growth, increasing customer engagement, and identifying new opportunities to enhance the digital customer experience.

If you would like to work with Sartorius Digital to review and energise your existing marketing strategy email sara@thefifthsector.co.uk.