Delvinia is the organization engaged to work with Manulife Financial on the design, implementation and unveiling of Manulife’s new CoverMe™ Travel mobile site and CoverMe™ Packing App. Launched December 1, these mobile touch points reflect the brand’s customer focus and the fact that more and more customers are using their smartphones as part of the purchase process.

In fact, according to AskingCanadians™, Delvinia’s proprietary online research panel, 32 per cent of Canadians own a smartphone and 40 per cent of owners report having used their smartphone while shopping.

Experience revealed that a large percentage of purchases made through the
1-800-COVER ME^® phone number are for last-minute emergency travel insurance. The CoverMe Travel mobile site tailors to this behaviour, enabling consumers to purchase travel insurance at the last minute and while they are on-the-go.

“We identified an opportunity for Manulife to satisfy the needs of busy travelers. When we were looking at the analytics, we noticed that a lot of people were coming to CoverMe.com from mobile devices and that number is growing exponentially,” said Steve Mast, President of Delvinia. “We wanted to build on that momentum and the fact that more people are using mobile to buy insurance.”

Manulife’s new mobile site provides an additional valuable service for potential and existing customers and reinforces the message that CoverMe™ has its customers covered – especially on mobile where they’re spending more time. Delvinia designed the site, which is accessible by BlackBerry, iPhone and Android users, for ease of use. Users are guided through the purchase process in a limited number of steps, enabling them to buy the newly created CoverMe Travel Single Trip Emergency Medical plan, in minutes—and while they’re on-the-go.

When it came to designing the travel app, Mast said Delvinia noticed a trend in the data regarding apps that work and those that don’t. “Apps that have longevity and staying power are utility-based apps, apps that help people in their everyday life,” he said.

The CoverMe™ Packing App, available for iPhones, is designed to help travelers with the process of planning and packing for their trips. Users can download the free app to create customized travel packing lists from categories like Important Documents, Clothing, Toiletries, and most importantly Travel Insurance.

Key features of the CoverMe™ Packing App include:

• Creating new packing lists
• Editing customized packing lists
• Accessing the existing catalogue of multiple categorized travel items
• Adding your own items
• Receiving travel packing tips

“Recognizing customers are increasingly looking to use their smartphones to complete online transactions, the new CoverMe Travel mobile site extends our ability to offer affordable coverage whenever and wherever our customers need it,” said Gavin Robinson, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Affinity Markets. “With the CoverMe Packing App, we’re able to improve the travel experience in a new way. By helping customers prepare for their trips, in addition to offering convenient options for the purchase of travel insurance, we hope to ease some of the stress often associated with traveling.”

Delvinia has worked closely with Manulife since 2005, redesigning the company’s award-winning website and launching coverme.com with a focus on increasing the percentage of Manulife’s direct-to-consumer business being conducted online. As a result, Manulife has seen significant growth in its online channel with applications increasing by almost 40 per cent.