The NKC, the Dutch parent company of Campercontact, recently published an article about the development and possibilities of our new platform. In her magazine 'Kampeerauto'. Normally exclusively available for members. But you can now also read this article on Campercontact.com.
Faster, easier to use, smaller in size and above all ready for the future. This is what the NKC has in mind with the new Campercontact app, which replaces the eight-year-old hit. Two NKC employees talk about the development and the possibilities of the new app. TEXT MARJAM OVERMARS // PHOTOS JEROEN JUMELET
Admittedly, the introduction of the new app was not all spotless. The new app has been live, from the start of September, with a new look but also with the necessary start-up problems. Many users approached the NKC with questions about logging in and about functional issues. Most of these issues have now been resolved and the NKC is now continuing to build the Campercontact app. The easier, more accessible and more beautiful the app is, the more complex the manufacturing process. This rule of thumb certainly also applies to the Campercontact app.
Because, you can count on it, everybody has an opinion about it: motor home owners in the Netherlands and abroad, the voluntary NKC moderators who assess changes proposed by users, the designers who look at logic and appearance, the technicians who code everything and the professionals at the NKC office who organise and monitor the manufacturing process.
Although they casually say that it is just their job, C. Bardoel and F. Jelmersma from the marketing and communications department secretly think it quite the achievement that the new Campercontact app has actually gone live after months of steady and hard work.
However, not every user will immediately realize that a completely new app has been developed in this case. Yes, it looks fresher and its use is more logical and faster. But is that all? No, there is much more to it. “We have great ambitions for the future” says Bardoel. “Our focus is still on the European market, but ultimately we want to go out into the world. Our ultimate goal is for every motor home owner in the world to use Campercontact.” She thinks that they should aim high, “but for the time being we are focusing on Europe, where we want as many of the two million motor home owners committed to us”.
And that is why the Campercontact platform must be future-proof, which means that it can technically handle all changes and additions. To improve the background technology, the app had to be rebuilt completely. The old app had been built and rebuilt for eight years, but all the modern requirements demanded a total rebuild of the app. “It was a complex process,” Jelmersma agrees. “Based on research among our users, we determined the basic information and functions the new app had to offer. We added some new features and made sure that its use would be easier and more intuitive. Adding to that, we were also able to make the new app quicker and lighter. The old app was 300 to 400 MB, the new one is about 50 MB.
The improved technology makes it easier to implement changes, which means that users’ wishes can be realized more quickly. Jelmersma: “The environment is also more stable, as we call it, and we can accommodate millions of users with the platform.” The old app came in two version: the free lite version with a selection of about three thousand of the 35 thousand motor home sites and the paid version for 5,99 euros a year, which is included in the NKC membership, with all the information and functions possible. The new free version will be called FREE and offers all motorhome sites, but not all functions.
In addition, this FREE version contains advertisements. The paid version, also included in NKC membership, is called PRO and is totally complete and ad-free. On the website, Campercontact.com, you can also find all motor home sites but there too the functions are limited and there are advertisements. Bardoel: “The focus of any further developments of the app is mainly on delivering new functions. Through the website we also want to offer inspiration with beautiful content and nice blogs about countries and motor homing themes. We do this in six languages, so we can serve the entire European market.” And the user remains central; “We use all user feedback for further development in the upcoming months, so we can work together on the Campercontact platform for the international motorhome owner.
Campercontact is the largest European platform for motor home sites. Through the website and the app, you can now find more than 35 thousand motor home sites, campsites, and service locations in 58 countries. The website attracts half a million viewers every month, while more than 180 thousand people a month use the app on their phone or tablet. And the beautiful thing is that these numbers only keep growing.