26 Apr FLOOR TO OUR MERCHANTS: GRIMALDI

Even though Grimaldi needs no introduction, can you tell us about your major company features and achievements?

Grimaldi Lines is the main brand of Grimaldi Group that is dedicated to maritime transport of passengers in the Mediterranean Sea. Currently, maritime connections are carried out between mainland Italy and its largest islands, Sardinia and Sicily, as well as Spain, Greece, and Tunisia. Grimaldi Lines’ fleet exclusively features modern ships and cruise ferries of new generation offering passengers a wide choice of services, like swimming pools, restaurants and discos that turn the transport into an enjoyable beginning of their holidays. Part of the fleet is also equipped with a wellness center, where guests can benefit from sports activities and a relaxing massage.

The company has always put the quality of services at the core of its strategy and a strong focus on environmental impact, in the belief that the future of sea transport can be safe, comfortable, less polluting, and environmentally friendly.

In particular, Cruise Roma and Cruise Barcelona, the flagships of the Grimaldi Lines fleet serving Civitavecchia-Porto Torres, Civitavecchia-Barcellona, Porto Torres-Barcellona and viceversa, well reflect our environmental policy. They are the first “zero-emission in port” ferries in the Mediterranean Sea: during port stops, engines are turned off and special lithium batteries that do not release any harmful emissions are activated.

Is there a specific group of people most likely to choose your ferries and travel with you? Are there more families, couples, or individual people among your passengers?

Our target audience is extremely broad. Travelling by sea is often the preferred option both for those travelling alone and for those travelling with the whole family, as well as for couples or group of friends. In fact, the company offers the possibility to choose among different types of accommodation (deck passage, armchair, internal, external, and superior cabins) and to embark with one’s own car and in the company of pets.

How far in advance do people usually book their tickets? Let’s think of high season tickets in July and August, for example…

As far as summer bookings are concerned, we see that our promotion “Advanced Booking” is greatly appreciated. This special offer is valid until 30 April and provides a 20% discount (excluding fixed fees) on selected lines from/to Sardinia, Sicily and Spain, for departures between 1 June and 30 September 2023.

Some market segments, especially users who are interested in international destinations, do prefer last-minute bookings. Based on this, throughout the year, we offer targeted promotions to meet everyone’s needs.

Why did you decide to use MyBank, what issues have been addressed with its solution, and why does it fit your digital development strategy?

At Grimaldi, offering a user experience that efficiently meets customer expectations and makes their online purchase of tickets simple, has always been a priority.

With MyBank, a major step forward has been taken in the improvement of our customer experience: just to give you an example, last-minute bookings with traditional bank transfers were difficult to manage and to validate in an adequate and timely manner.

Thanks to MyBank’s irrevocable wire transfers with immediate confirmation, we have successfully solved this issue, whilst offering an alternative to card payments for last-minute purchases. Furthermore, this payment method is particularly efficient for us not only in terms of costs, but also when it comes to speeding up internal processes.

Let’s try to quantify the efficiency of MyBank: by how much have commissions been reduced compared to other online payment methods?

Compared to other online payment methods, commissions applied to MyBank transactions are nearly 70% lower: this already significant percentage does not take into account further important advantages such as the process automation that this method enables and the reduction of manual work allowing our team to focus on other activities.

What results have you achieved so far, or you wish to achieve in the future with MyBank?

Since we activated its solution on our B2B and B2C e-commerce, a year-on-year growth trend has been registered with MyBank at our end. In 2022 alone, our transacted volumes and values ​​ grew by 30% and 40% respectively compared to the previous year, showing great appreciation for this method by our customers.

Who is using MyBank (e.g., B2B/B2C percentage or travel agencies/consumers) and what are its advantages?

The use of MyBank is quite balanced between B2B and B2C, with percentages of 56% in B2B/travel agencies, and 44% in B2C/final consumers. In both cases, MyBank represents an alternative to card payments and further tools that is particularly appreciated for its security levels, reliability, and ease of use.

When using MyBank, payments can be made directly from users’ online banking service, thus also attracting people who are generally more reluctant to buy and pay online.

Furthermore, by featuring no maximum amount limit for the transactions, we have seen that MyBank is particularly appreciated in case of bookings with higher average prices.

By providing immediate confimation of the irrevocable transaction, MyBank payments allow 100% automatic reconciliation. How does this feature contribute to optimise collection processes at your end?

MyBank ensures immediate collection, thus improving cash flow. Furthermore, it allows us to automate accounting-related tasks and refund-related flows.

Let’s wrap it up! How would you describe MyBank in 3 words or slogans?

MyBank is an immediate payment solution for customers and businesses that turns bank transfers into a smart tool, in line with today’s need for easy and speedy transactions.

In a scenario where e-commerce is experiencing a sudden increase in purchasing habits, MyBank allows you to overcome the issue of credit card amount limits (particularly affecting B2B) and empowers businesses to rapidly check and charge transactions and refunds.