Foldable bicycle specialist Brompton launches composable e-commerce site on BigCommerce platform
BigCommerce has announced the launch of foldable bicycle company, Brompton, on its platform.
After struggling for years with its previous e-commerce platform and tech stack, Brompton sought a new platform that offered flexibility and the ability to scale as the company grows and its priorities shift.
“Our old system arguably could have been called composable, but it wasn’t purpose-built that way,” says Oliver Boardman, IT and Digital Director at Brompton.
“The components didn’t work together well, and we didn’t have nearly as much flexibility as we needed. BigCommerce showed us that they could provide a true composable platform capable of scaling with us and our customers.”
The bicycle purchasing journey includes both online and offline touches. Customers shop around to compare different models, specifications, availability and prices, but they also want to ride different models before making a decision.
“The bike purchase is very omnichannel,” says Boardman.
“We’ve recently launched a 28-day satisfaction guarantee in the UK and offer a bike hire program where people can rent a bike and try it out for a while before deciding to buy one. With our new composable site, we know we’ll be able to add that to our current website and provide a seamless experience for our customers in the future.”
Brompton wanted the flexibility to support storefronts in different markets as e-commerce expands rapidly beyond the UK.
Additional functionality such as Click and Collect and improved analytics are key to increasing direct-to-consumer sales, which the company expects to comprise 50% of its business in the next few years.
Reaching that target for a carefully considered purchase like a Brompton requires in-depth understanding of the customer journey and an ability to personalise it appropriately.
The new site leverages multiple BigCommerce partners for a composable commerce offering.
Vue Storefront powers the front-end. Bloomreach serves as Brompton’s CMS, driving AI powered personalisation across the site.
Search capabilities from Algolia sit on top of Bromptom’s Cin7 inventory management system, which effectively functions as its ERP.
“Our previous system had a variety of pieces that didn’t work well together, so the idea of taking a composable commerce approach required careful assessment,” Boardman says.
“We took our time confirming the various components would work well, and knowing that BigCommerce was a member of the MACH Alliance gave us a lot of confidence.”
“Knowing we were following the MACH blueprint and that the components were compatible was a huge factor, and BigCommerce and its partners all came to the table early in the process to identify potential barriers and explain how they would work together to do what we needed.”
Brompton’s BigCommerce sites currently support sales in the UK and US, and the company plans to expand into additional European markets soon.
“Brompton has delivered a best-in-class customer experience based on the foundations of a modern, composable technology stack that creates new opportunities for innovation and speed to market,” says Mark Adams, Senior Vice President and General Manager of EMEA at BigCommerce.
“This demonstrates that companies of any size and scale can benefit greatly from moving on from their legacy technology platforms, but what matters most is that Brompton is now empowered with the technology and tools to fire up the digital experience creating more inspiration, more loyalty and more value for their customers.”
"Brompton is an incredible example of the value composable commerce can offer businesses," says Tjeerd Brenninkmeijer, Executive Vice President of EMEA at Bloomreach.
"They join a growing list of companies taking a flexible, future-proof approach to their e-commerce experience, and alongside our MACH Alliance partners, we're pleased to help them bring AI-powered personalisation to life across their new site."
"Brompton is paving the way with their forward-thinking adoption of composable commerce," adds Patrick Friday, CEO at Vue Storefront.
"Their approach exemplifies the kind of innovative, customer centric strategy that Vue Storefront and our MACH Alliance partners excel in supporting. Brompton's dedication to a flexible, scalable and future-proof digital presence resonates with our mission.”
“We're proud to join forces with Brompton in this Frontend-First transformation, leveraging our Frontend as a Service technology and expertise to enhance their customer journey."
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