The main challenges we faced were how to centralize control of global digital channels for scalability and efficiency, how to empower country-level managers to market to their customers, and how to drive increased eCommerce revenue for Specialized without harming the commercial interests of local partners.
The core of the solution was a full website replatform on SAP Hybris with localized online storefronts launched in more than 10 countries around the world. We then built a proprietary access portal for local stockists, which they can use to provide Specialized with a daily automated feed of inventory units by SKU. This inventory information is then shared on the Specialized website so consumers can search and find availability for specific parts in their local area.
We then added a broad range of added-value features aimed at creating high quality, seamless CX across the new ecosystem. These included a ‘Find a Store’ tool, a Custom Bike Builder that ships tailor-made bikes to local retail outlets for collection, and a Bike Registration tool that allows customers to save their bike components and specifications for future reference.
On top of this, we also built an expanded Hybris CMS that holistically blends content and commerce, with things like informative articles about new bike technology and profiles of brand ambassadors woven throughout the eCommerce channel.