New yachting platform

Camper & Nicholsons
30th October 2019

Camper & Nicholsons have been marrying technology with tradition since George Washington was President. The forthcoming launch of their ground-breaking platform sails in the wake of a dozen other innovations. This new software distils real-time data concerning fuel usage, location events and much else. It then delivers digital yachting knowledge into the hands of all sailing stakeholders.

In summer 2019, Camper & Nicholsons International, the oldest, largest and most prestigious name in yachting, announced a technology merger with Hong Kong based seafaring company Nowboat. The collaboration will see the launch of a unique platform, which will deliver bespoke data to industry stakeholders including owners, brokers, shipyards and guests.

This revolutionary platform is overseen by a dedicated team of software engineers in Camper & Nicholsons Monaco headquarters. By late 2019, it will be accessible to every industry player across various devices, including mobile, tablet and desktop. The platform will distil every item of yacht intelligence, such as fuel usage, marina logs, staff profiles, search history and social media presence, into one simple-to-use tool.

The first step of this exciting merger consisted of the launch of a brand new website (www.camperandnicholsons.com) in mid-2019. The new portal redefined the digital customer journey by offering interactive imagery and a live chat option that immediately engages clients. Bespoke itineraries everywhere from the Adriatic to Southeast Asia were crafted with the assistance of leading travel journalists to entertain adventurers and curious travellers alike. Richer content, from drone footage to 360° onboard videos, will lend further depth to each yacht for sale and charter. Finally, an updated news section maintains Camper & Nicholsons as the yachting company of record.

Lester Lam, Chairman of Camper & Nicholsons Asia, continues the story: "This company has delivered yachts to royalty, celebrities and racing legends since 1782. On such longevity was the Camper & Nicholsons brand born and its pioneering spirit has kept the company ahead of the pack. The firm introduced almost every industry innovation from composite hulls to America’s Cup challengers. More recently we have worked on several structural updates to equip the company for the radical market and customer behaviour changes that we face. This new platform, the first of its kind in the business, is a continuation of our pioneering spirit. Nearly 250 years since its inception, Camper & Nicholsons is sailing further than ever before."

“It’s tomorrow’s solution delivered today, and I can’t wait to share it with Camper & Nicholsons partners the world over.”

Giovanni Alessi, who joined Camper & Nicholsons from Nowboat as Chief Innovation and Technology Officer, agrees: “In 2020 the global superyacht market will be worth $35bn, but information and technology from all stakeholders isn’t linked into a cohesive database. For example, our stock of yacht images is second-to-none but these photos once resided on owners’ cellphones, brokers’ desktops and in various Cloud accounts. Now they all reside on one digital platform for selected stakeholders to view. As the industry’s leader, Camper & Nicholsons holds market intelligence on changing customer trends, peaks and troughs in fuel consumption and port histories for thousands of vessels. By querying that information we can provide a data-driven solution to almost every industry demand - in a matter of seconds.”

Paolo Casani, CEO of Camper & Nicholsons International, says: "I strongly believe that today companies don't need a digital strategy, but a strategy for a digital world. Requests for real time data concerning broker history, events in itinerary locations, weather projections and much, much more has been requested by our guests, clients and shipyard partners. Our new platform will deliver that information to the entire yachting community, not only to our sales and charter brokers across 12 global offices. Most importantly it will do so through an in-house tech team who will consistently improve the platform based on data from, but not limited to, customer journeys and incoming yachts."

The forthcoming Camper & Nicholsons platform has manifold uses. In the hands of a yacht owner it will deliver real time information concerning guest feedback, energy usage and comparative yachts competing for market share. A broker will be able to access a particular vessel’s engineering upgrades and port log history. Even a prospective buyer, be they at the Fort Lauderdale Boat Show or the Dubai International Boat Show, will be able to securely compare prices of similarly sized and aged yachts, then share securely with selected parties.

Luxury yacht guests will also be able to access the system via mobile, desktop or tablet. Besides information about a certain yacht’s heritage and its typical month-by-month itineraries, there will be statistics detailing how much it would cost to build or charter a similar vessel. The distillation of big data will even allow shipyards to receive projections of sales and technology trends based upon tens of thousands of searches.

Giovanni Alessi has the final word: “We haven’t created this digital platform to impress owners or guests with tech, or to take power from brokers or shipyards. Instead we’re delivering irrefutable empirical information on any yachting subject our stakeholders desire, driven by the industry’s largest database. It’s tomorrow’s solution delivered today, and I can’t wait to share it with Camper & Nicholsons partners the world over.”