A digital winter experience for train travelers

Wintercity is a personalized digital advent calendar that runs on an online platform. Throughout December, NS subscribers get online access to a new surprise deal every day. Adinda: “Surprise deals vary from a coupon for free coffee to extra weekend discounts or a first-class upgrade.”

Rewarding loyal customers

The campaign originated during the COVID period. In times of empty trains and uncertainty, the campaign offered a way to appreciate loyal customers. “People couldn’t travel much, or sometimes at all, but remained loyal subscribers to NS”, Adinda explains. “We developed Wintercity to give something back to our loyal customers”. In the meantime, Wintercity has grown into a campaign with a clear impact.

Focus on subscribers

So, who qualifies as a loyal customer? “We looked at product level, not at travel frequency,” Daan explains. “In short: customers that have an active subscription at NS are considered loyal customers. Too often companies only focus on new customers, while loyal customers no longer receive any extras. We wanted to approach our customers the exact other way around.”

In the public eye

That choice aligns with NS’s public role. “We’re very visible in the media and impact nearly everyone in the Netherlands,” says Adinda. “That’s exactly why we must carefully consider what actions to take and how we want to be perceived.” She emphasizes that societal role: “What we communicate can quickly become national news. That’s always part of our consideration. Everything we do has a lot of impact and that’s reflected in our campaigns.”

KPIs that reveal true impact

Customer engagement with Wintercity is measured on multiple levels, using both behavioral data and qualitative feedback. “One metric we track is platform visitors,” Adinda explains. “Our platform has a huge reach.” These figures are supported by signs from customer service. “We notice an increase in the number of calls: people actually call our customer service to ask whether and when Wintercity will return. That says a lot about how alive the campaign is.” Besides platform traffic, the team monitors email metrics. “Open rates are less relevant,” says Daan. “We mainly look at click-through rates and unsubscribe rates. We want to know: is it perceived as spam, or are people truly engaging?”

Sustainable customer communication via CRM

Email plays a central role in customer interaction during the Wintercity campaign. “Ninety percent of what we do for Wintercity comes from our CRM system,” says Daan. NS communicates at a large scale. “That’s why we constantly monitor email performance: click rates, send volumes, feedback, and of course, unsubscribe numbers.”

But it’s not just about campaign performance. Email also supports long-term customer relationships. “We’ve set up a full Customer Lifecycle Campaign (CLC),” Adinda explains. “From the moment someone signs up for a subscription until about a year and a half later, we keep them engaged and informed about our products. We can clearly see that loyal customers deliver more value in the long run, so we invest a lot in them.”

Efficiency and reusability are also important. Daan explains: “The API we built for Wintercity is now also used in other campaigns, like the ‘Weg is Weg’ weeks.” Thus, the email foundation contributes not only to loyalty but also to ongoing, sustainable communication efforts.

Measuring sentiment

At the end of each campaign, the team actively collects feedback on what could be improved and which rewards were appreciated. “We get a lot of positive reactions,” says Daan. Still, measuring sentiment isn’t always easy. “Online, the negative voices tend to stand out. That was pretty tough the first year,” he recalls. “We invest a lot of effort into the campaign, so critical feedback can be challenging to navigate.” Now, NS collects feedback via thumbs-up responses in emails and detailed surveys. “Evaluations show that 90 to 95% of people experience the campaign very positively.”

That enthusiasm also shows in behavior. “People were calling customer service as early as October to ask when Wintercity would return,” says Daan. Adinda: “We have real fans, people who love the train. You can see that reflected in high engagement figures.”

At the same time, the team has learned to deal with criticism. “When you’re deeply involved, the negative feedback can stick with you the most,” Daan admits. “Then it’s important to focus on the large group that is positive.” Adinda emphasizes that focusing on loyal customers pays off: “They appreciate the work we put into it, and show it.”

Adinda: “Also, most of the time, criticism isn’t about the campaign itself but caused by external factors like national strikes. “Then you have to put things into perspective,” says Daan. “Ultimately, we’re doing it for the large group that looks forward to Wintercity every year.”

Tips and tricks

Daan and Adinda’s first advice to other organizations: start early. “It takes much more time than you think,” says Daan. “There are a lot of stakeholders involved. Not only do legal aspects play a role in the process, alignment with other transport operators and political interests have to be considered as well.”

Another lesson they want to emphasize is to value loyal customers. “Put them in the spotlight,” says Adinda. “It really makes a difference when you show appreciation.” Daan agrees: “Recognizing the value of existing customers is a skill in itself.”

“Just roll up your sleeves and go,” says Adinda. “We dove in, discovered a lot, and learned from our mistakes.” One key insight: successful campaigns don’t always rely heavily on ATL or paid media. “CRM can make a huge impact alongside other channels,” Daan emphasizes. Where acquisition once dominated, email and CRM activation proved surprisingly effective.

Wintercity at EMAS

EMAS visitors can look forward to a behind-the-scenes glimpse of what Daan describes as “one of the most successful CRM campaigns I’ve ever done.” The session will show how a relatively compact CRM team can have a huge impact, with results that exceed expectations.

“We’ll demonstrate the kind of impact you can make with KPIs we had never seen before”, says Daan. Adinda adds: “Numbers many companies can only dream of.” It’s not just about high click-through rates, but about the overall scale and effectiveness of the campaign. “It really offers insight into what happens when you turn the right knobs,” says Daan. “Then a kind of flywheel is set in motion, where everything aligns and results keep growing.”

Their session promises not only to inspire with its impressive results but also to surprise with how a large organization like NS creates space for creativity, agility, and experimentation. Got your EMAS tickets yet? Get them now at: shop.emas.nu