FBD Group Boosts Digital Strategy with Centreon DEM

“Centreon DEM ensuresthat the sites are always live and proactively reports any issues, all without needing a development team. The websites are optimized daily and we can demonstrate to management the business impact of web performance.“

Gautier Dudault — Digital and E-commerce Director, FBD Group

 

Key Facts

• Leading kitchen retailer with over 30 years’ experience
• 400 stores worldwide.
• 1 central website factory services 4 retail brands.

Challenges

• Eliminate finger-pointing and paralysis: multiple service providers and add-on technologies make it difficult to view the objective effect of each on-site performance.
• Provide frictionless online customer experience to facilitate purchases.
• Reassure franchises that FBD Group’s websites are fully optimised to bring qualified leads.

Solution

• Centreon DEM performed numerous load tests at the pre-production stage to ensure the websites could handle peak traffic.
• The Centreon DEM platform monitors all company sites and proactively reports on issues.
• Centreon DEM’s Performance Gurus provide ongoing support and continuous optimization advice.

Benefits

• 360-degree visibility on all aspects of the site, plus support and guidance from Centreon DEM Web Performance Guru.
• Better cooperation among digital teams and service providers with no more finger-pointing.
• Faster resolution of performance issues.

The Full Story

Kitchen retail giant uses Centreon DEM to ensure optimum web performance and a top-of-the-range digital experience.

With over 30 years of experience in kitchen retail, FBD Group encompasses four distinct brands—Ixina, Cuisine Plus, Vanden Borre Kitchen and Cuisines Références. The group’s transparent pricing model and its pioneering technology showrooms disrupt the typical codes associated with the industry. With already over 400 stores internationally, FBD Group has aggressive plans for expansion, aspiring to hit one billion euros in revenue by 2020.

Web Performance as the Key to Website Success

FBD Group’s online presence deals with multiple territories and brands, high-ticket prices and content-rich pages. Its primary goal is to actively recruit franchisees and then to support them through effective lead generation.

“Our websites are at the core of our digital strategy,” explains Gautier Dudault, Digital and E-commerce Director at FBD Group. “To make it a success, we must provide a top-of-the-range online experience.”

From the beginning, the company was aware of the critical role web performance plays in a website’s success, particularly with regards to sales.

“We need to capture purchase intent and reassure customers at the time of a high-ticket, high-consideration purchase. Slow loading causes friction in the customer journey and is highly likely to lead to website abandonment,” said Gautier Dudault.

Getting it Right From the Start

Previously, each of FBD Group’s brands managed their websites independently. To pool costs and efforts, and share best practices among brands, the company decided to converge all of the sites and manage them from a single site factory. FBD Group called on Centreon DEM experts (formerly Quanta, following the acquisition of Quanta by Centreon) at the preproduction stage to ensure a successful and serene launch.

“Web performance directly impacts the user experience, SEO, leads, and sales. It was something we needed to get right from the beginning,” said Gautier Dudault. “You don’t want to buy a car and then realize it maxes out at 60 miles per hour!”

FBD Group uses all the latest third-party technologies and services to create a stellar online experience. However, this previously meant a lack of overall visibility and issues of governance. The company required actionable metrics on each site element to justify its presence and ensure optimal performance.

“We are increasingly data-driven and ROI focused, but it is easy to lose sight of efficiency. We need an objective view of performance to be able to hold true to our commitment of providing an outstanding digital experience,” adds Gautier Dudault.

Centreon DEM’s experts performed numerous load tests at the pre-production stage to ensure the websites would be able to handle peak traffic. Bottlenecks and potential issues were troubleshooted ahead of time, eliminating finger-pointing among different teams and service providers later on.

“Centreon DEM showed us that our load time was subpar, particularly for mobile users. After identifying the causes, the solution helped us remedy the issues, so we had peace of mind at launch time, knowing our sites were fully optimized,” said Gautier Dudault.

Complete Visibility and Control for Ongoing Optimization

FBD Group now has a continuous comprehensive view of all aspects of its websites thanks to Centreon DEM’s detailed performance reports. Collaboration between FBD Group’s internal digital teams and additional service providers has been greatly facilitated, particularly with regards to resolving performance issues. The group also benefits from ongoing support from a Centreon DEM Web Performance Guru, who is on hand for further performance optimization advice.

“The software is easy to set up and lives up to its promise of optimization and peace of mind. The service that comes with Centreon DEM is second to none,” explains Gautier Dudault. “Centreon DEM ensures that the sites are always live and proactively reports any issues, all without needing a development team. The websites are optimized daily and we can demonstrate the business impact of web performance to management. Our franchisees are reassured that we are furthering their business aims and that their prospects and customers are guaranteed a frictionless journey.”

To go Further

Ready to explore how Centreon can help you deliver flawless digital experiences, just like FBD Group?

• Deep dive into Centreon DEM: Discover how Centreon DEM gives you full visibility into application performance and user journeys.
• Boost your web performance: Learn how to monitor and optimize the performance of your websites and web applications.
• Enhance user experience monitoring: Understand how to monitor real user experience and ensure seamless digital interactions.
• Talk to our experts: Want to evaluate your needs or see Centreon DEM in action? Contact us for a personalized demo and ask our monitoring experts any questions you may have.
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