Storyblok helps tyre brand Micheldever Group transform online experience for digital first customers

UK tyre wholesaler, Micheldever Group, has undergone a digital transformation project powered by CMS Storyblok and digital agency Profound. 

The transition to MACH (Microservices, API first, Cloud-based, and Headless) has enabled the company to increase conversions by 98%.

As well as improving website performance, the project has enhanced the customer experience and data optimisation.

In just three months, the B2C Protyre site experienced a 98% increase in overall conversions, with a 115% increase in mobile and a 65% increase in desktop conversion rates. Moreover, it achieved a 28.4% decrease in website load time and a Lighthouse SEO score of 100.

Micheldever Group has a nationwide chain of independent fast fit service centres branded as Protyre Autocare.

Through its B2C Protyre e-commerce website consumers are able to book MOTs and other services, compare tyres and access information and advice.

However, following a period of exponential growth, it became clear to Micheldever Group that its website was no longer up to the job.

Its outdated monolithic legacy platform was cumbersome and difficult to maintain, while restricting the ability to add new features, make important updates and improve SEO strategy. 

Enter Profound, who recommended a MACH architecture solution for the Protyre website that combines microservices on the cloud using Storyblok’s headless CMS.

The tech stack currently consists of commercetools for e-commerce, Pimberly in terms of product information management, Bynder for digital asset management and Algolia as the site search and discovery engine.

With Storyblok, Micheldever Group says that it is now able to implement technical SEO changes easily with flexible data schemas and repurpose and customise components across projects for faster, easier deployments.

This approach not only ensures a future-proof solution but vastly reduces costs, speeds up development and is incredibly flexible.

Tim McMillen, CEO and Founder at Profound, says: “Rather than defaulting to technologies that are built once, maintained, and then torn down and rebuilt, Micheldever Group opted out for a composable future-proof architecture. A SaaS-based approach that satisfies the forward thinking view of the brand.”

Testament to the website’s success, the Protyre project was recently announced as a finalist in the 2024 UK Digital Excellence Awards in the ‘B2C Website of the Year’ category.

Alexander Feiglstorfer, CTO and Co-Founder at Storyblok, says: “As we look to 2024, there’s no doubt that MACH architecture will emerge as a dominant tech narrative.”

“Put simply, the benefits are too good to ignore. It vastly reduces costs, speeds up development and is incredibly flexible, enabling enterprises to effortlessly add new features and functionality as their needs evolve while remaining primed for the future – such as true omnichannel.”

“Our recent work with Micheldever Group offers a compelling demonstration of how impactful this type of tech infrastructure can be in terms of both marketing outputs and conversions.”

“As brands come under pressure to keep pace with ever-changing customer expectations, marketing trends and developing data science, it’s not hyperbole to say that nearly every brand will end up converting to MACH architecture.”