New Bridgestone websites support sales

“The basic data are retrieved from Bridgestone’s back-end systems and additional information and pictures are added from Sitecore. That results in beautiful and complete product pages.”

Gert Meylemans, Executive Manager Corporate and Brand Communications at Bridgestone

Bridgestone also wanted to keep up with the competition in the online world. The CMS system they were using for the websites was outdated and did not have sufficient features for offering modern content. That is why they renewed the system and their whole online strategy. The renewal of the website for motorcycle tyres was the first step. They have recently launched the car tyre website as well.

User-friendly and bilingual CMS system

Bridgestone decided to install a new CMS system in the context of its completely new online strategy and its improved brand policy in order to support sales. The tyre manufacturer also redesigned its internal processes, because there was a lack of uniformity between the websites.

A user-friendly and multilingual CMS system was an important requirement. The tyre manufacturer started a standard selection process for new software. Iulian Bobalca, responsible for the Internet and Intranet at Bridgestone: “Sitecore emerged as the best solution. The content management software proved the best match for our requirements.”

A successful step-by-step approach

Bridgestone’s management always adopts a step-by-step approach. They first had the website for motorcycle tyres developed. Gert Meylemans, Executive Manager Corporate and Brand Communications at Bridgestone Europe: “This approach allows us to learn from mistakes and make improvements for the next phase, for instance the car tyre website.” Bridgestone also applied this principle for the launch of the car tyre website.

“The sites are now running on Sitecore and are much more reliable”, Iulian Bobalca continues. “Before, updates sometimes disappeared or were published too late. That does not happen anymore thanks to Sitecore. We have much more confidence in the new CMS system.”

Average visit duration doubled thanks to high-quality content

On the new websites, visitors can do more than just look for different tyre options. They also offer news, tests and travel advice. The basic data are retrieved from Bridgestone’s back-end systems and additional information and pictures are added from Sitecore. That results in beautiful and complete product pages.

The bounce rate has fallen sharply and the average visit duration has nearly doubled. “The high-quality content, focused on the consumer’s interests, and the beautiful layout contributed to the success”, Gert Meylemans says. “It has also become easier to select and compare tyres.”