Overview

The National Gallery partnered with Smartify to transform the visitor experience by developing a scalable, revenue-generating digital product aligned with the Gallery’s brand, ambition and long-term goals.

As one of Smartify’s earliest adopters, the Gallery has spent the past decade embedding digital experiences into the core visitor journey while building in-house ownership of product, audience engagement and commercial performance.

The reopening of the Sainsbury Wing and the re-presentation of the permanent collection provided a once-in-a-generation opportunity to launch a newly configured suite of premium, self-led digital experiences.

The challenge

The Gallery sought to:

• Develop a uniquely National Gallery digital product proposition and service style

• Monetise self-led experiences while protecting brand integrity

• Capture visitor data from historically anonymous audiences

• Enable seamless hybrid access across personal and Gallery-provided devices

• Ensure secure, controlled access to paid content

• Integrate digital experiences into wider commercial and audience strategies

The solution needed to balance accessibility, scalability, operational efficiency and revenue generation.

The solution

Smartify delivered a hybrid digital model enabling visitors to access high-quality, National Gallery-branded experiences either through their own devices (via web application or the native Smartify app) or via Gallery-provided multimedia devices.

Key features include:

• Secure, sale-linked access to premium content

• Seamless switching between personal and handheld devices

• Integrated device tracking and security functionality

• Multi-language, mixed-media tours featuring internal and external expert voices

• Curated thematic routes including Highlights, Hidden Gems, Personalised tours and full-content access

• Built-in digital wayfinding, reducing reliance on printed materials and physical signage

The result is a scalable, future-ready digital product fully integrated into the Gallery’s visitor and commercial ecosystem.

The Gallery consistently converts approximately 2% of visitors into paid self-led tours of the permanent collection, representing a significant new revenue stream

The results

With average daily footfall of 10,000 visitors, the Gallery consistently converts approximately 2% of visitors into paid self-led tours of the permanent collection, representing a significant new revenue stream.

Importantly, the model has transformed levels of audience engagement from what was once a largely anonymous visitor base, capturing valuable first-party data, enabling stronger post-visit communication, targeted marketing and long-term loyalty development.

Additional impact includes:

• 50% of sales are generated through digital pre-visit channels, embedding the product within the planning journey

• 35% of users access tours via personal devices, reducing hardware dependency and operational costs

• Enhanced brand control through a fully National Gallery-branded digital experience

The partnership demonstrates how cultural institutions can successfully combine digital innovation, commercial strategy and audience engagement to create sustainable, data-driven revenue models.

Photo by Sung Jin Cho on Unsplash