Challenge
Topdeck specialises in small group travel, with a commercial model that relies on filling itineraries efficiently. Travellers can join trips at various destinations, which maximises profitability but introduces complexity to discovery, booking, and conversion.
Digitally, the foundations were holding the business back.
- A bespoke booking engine had gradually developed over nine years through offshore development. It handled Topdeck’s unique products but was fragile and difficult to extend.
- The website was built on an outdated Drupal CMS, four major versions behind, with inflexible templates that limited user experience and did not reflect the energy and dynamism of the brand.
- The experience lacked authenticity and social proof, essential for a younger, experience-led audience.
The brief was to reimagine the experience without breaking a booking engine that, while imperfect, was business-critical.
Do you have a similar challenge?
Please get in touch to start a conversation about how our expertise can help your business thrive.
Solution
Equator partnered with Topdeck to modernise the platform around a clear strategic shift - from brochure-led selling to a community-driven travel experience.
The aim was to increase engagement, build trust, and increase itinerary bookings through improved storytelling and higher conversion.
- Defined a new experience strategy centred on community, authenticity, and shared experiences
- Reimagined the UX to showcase trips through real traveller stories, not just itineraries
- Introduced user-generated content, video, and photography to bring routes and destinations to life
- Upgraded the Drupal CMS to unlock flexibility, performance, and modern content modelling
- Designed new templates that better reflected Topdeck’s dynamic, multi-join products
- Integrated seamlessly with the existing bespoke booking engine, preserving core functionality
- Improved booking journeys to better support joining trips at different destinations
- Ran CRO initiatives to refine key paths and increase itinerary completion
Results
A more authentic, engaging experience aligned to how Topdeck customers choose trips
Improved ability to promote partially filled itineraries and maximise utilisation
Greater flexibility for content teams to evolve experiences without technical constraint
A future-ready CMS and platform foundation supporting growth
Outcome
Topdeck now runs a community-led digital platform that accurately reflects its travel experiences and commercial model.
By modernising the CMS, elevating UX, and strengthening a fragile but essential booking engine with a more robust experience layer, Equator helped Topdeck increase engagement, support itinerary fill, and create a scalable foundation for long-term growth in the small-group travel market.