Omnichannel commerce platform

Tires are a multi-layered topic - especially when it comes to processing and setting up an online store, it can get very complex. Diverse brands, models and sizes with different approvals in each country make the data mountain grow into infinity.

This challenge was also faced by one of the largest pan-European networks of independent tire and car service dealers, First Stop, retail subsidiary of the world's largest tire manufacturer Bridgestone.

In order to cope with the increasingly complex structure of its online store, which has been available since 2012, and to offer modern customers - both online and offline - optimum service even beyond the simple purchase of tires, a relaunch to the current SAP Hybris omnichannel commerce platform in version 5.6 was implemented in 2015. For this redesign, First Stop once again relied on Unic as a partner.

Online tire trade

First Stop's platform is a B2B2C store that is available in nearly 20 countries with a uniform appearance, but with customized service offerings, in the respective languages and currencies through the internationalization option of the Hybris solution, thus strengthening the First Stop brand.

It serves not only as a store for end customers, but also as an intranet for dealers, who can use it to maintain information about their business locations and access other intranet applications such as Web2Print or an e-learning platform.

The end customer himself has access to a state-of-the-art e-commerce platform for his tire orders, including automotive accessories, as well as services provided by the franchise partners. Examples include air conditioning maintenance and battery service.

Even the appointment is made directly between the first-stop partner and the end customer thanks to sophisticated logic in the backend. The tires do not end up at the end customer's home, but are delivered to the service partner on schedule. Currently, more than 2,000 First Stop service partners in almost 25 European countries are available to the end customer.

Product Information Management

The store currently sells 14,500 tires in various models and sizes from all well-known manufacturers. To manage this complex amount of tire data, First Stop relies on the PCM product information system from SAP Hybris E-Commerce.

In 2015, the platform was migrated from version 4.7 to the then current version 5.6. This made it possible to offer and implement not only an end-to-end customer experience on the front end, but also an improvement in the processes on the back end.

Omnichannel experience

The front end now allows optimized recommendation of alternatives in the search and purchase offer (cross-selling) and the purchase decision is positively supported by expert opinions.

The online store is now optimally tailored to the needs of the customer: Extensive information about tires, accessories and service partners helps them find the right tire for their car.

A simplified check-out process supports the purchase process and allows for an end-to-end experience. Thanks to the use of the new SAP Hybris technology, users can also soon expect new features such as:

By entering the summer tires currently mounted on his vehicle, he automatically receives a list of suitable winter tires from different manufacturers during the winter season.

The highly flexible framework of Hybris allows building simple, but also individual and complex business processes in e-commerce for a better omnichannel experience of the end customer at all touchpoints to be used.

Integrations of surrounding systems such as ERP, CRM, etc. can be incorporated and thus enable an optimal product and information presentation on the web. From the right approach to the relevant target group to the purchase, the following aspects can be taken into account with the solution: Search engine marketing and optimization, efficient product access, good product information or an intuitive check-out process.

With the right strategy and the modern platform, First Stop has become one of the most successful retailers of the Bridgestone brand.