Accelerating site performance with cutting-edge tech.
Volvo Trucks uses Adobe Experience Manager Sites to pull off a massive content migration in record time and increase website customer engagement.
Volvo Trucks North America
350%
site visitor increase
Products:
Objectives
Improve SEO
Increase content velocity and speed to market
Increase visitor traffic and engagement with new website features and improved performance
Results
350% site visitor increase at launch
1,000% increase in engagement with configurator tool to build custom trucks
Increase from 35 to 100 Google Lighthouse score
700 pages migrated in just three months
21% decrease in bounce rate
A tech migration with far-reaching results
Joe Salling began his career with Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks Inc., building the software that powers some of the world’s most iconic vehicles. Now, as the company’s director of truck sales, marketing, and CRM, he’s one of the leaders measuring success across sales, marketing, and technology teams.
“I’m constantly evaluating and asking myself and my teams, ‘What technology do we have on our plate that will push us farther and help us get to the other side?’” says Salling, who is leading the digital transformation of the company’s online operations.
For a brand like Volvo, success has always meant keeping up with the speed of technology. From pioneering safety features to real-time data collection to the latest in electric and clean-energy technology, Volvo’s reputation is world-renowned and built by consistent innovation. Volvo Trucks North America produces vehicles in the US and holds itself to the same high brand standards. But in 2022, Volvo Trucks North America faced a challenge familiar to most successful brands: rapid growth and even faster technological advancements but constrained by a content management system (CMS) and disconnected tech stack that couldn’t support the quality or scale of content needed to remain an industry leader.
“Our goal is to be number one, but if you don't have a great foundation, then your hopes and dreams don’t go anywhere. Adobe has given us the foundation to take Volvo Trucks North America to the next level and build a brighter future.”
Joe Salling
Director of Truck Sales, Marketing, and CRM for Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks Inc.
Finding the right competitive edge
Salling knew he needed an integrative solution that could match the cutting-edge technology that Volvo is known for and give the brand a competitive advantage. He found it in Adobe Experience Manager Sites with Edge Delivery Services — the latest evolution of CMS technology. After consulting with their technology partners and marketing team, Salling was convinced that Experience Manager was the key to unlocking both faster content delivery and superior website performance.
“We had exploited every nook and cranny of our CMS environment,” says Salling. With the existing tech stack, the team could not get all of their tasks completed, and marketing departments and content owners had to work in different web platforms to get content to market. This resulted in inconsistent content across markets and regions, which made it difficult to deliver personalized experiences and negatively impacted engagement. On top of it all were the dreaded long page load times.
What’s more, the team was gearing up to digitally announce Volvo’s biggest new product in 25 years — the all-new Volvo VNL, its latest fuel-efficient long-haul truck. With a 10% improved fuel economy and a focus on safety and connectivity, the VNL represented Volvo’s commitment to innovation, and its launch needed to follow suit.
Achieving the unexpected
With all eyes on this critical launch, getting the CMS migration right was imperative for Salling — and with the upcoming truck launch just months away, the clock was ticking. Salling and his team partnered with Cognizant Netcentric to find a new platform that could be created, populated with existing content and new designs, stress-tested, and ready to go live on an expedited timeline.
They were introduced to Edge Delivery Services in Adobe Experience Manager Sites, which would achieve their goals and cut the timeline in half. With Edge Delivery Services, they would migrate over 700 pages, update the content editing technology, and overhaul every site functionality.
Salling’s 25 years of experience at the company meant that executive leadership was confident he could pull this off. And sure enough, working closely with the Adobe Engineering team, the whole environment was set up and migrated in just over a month. Salling says that, through it all, his North Star for the team was “failing fast.” He encouraged his team to be agile. “Go and try it,” he often said. “What are you going to break? Let’s get out there and run a little bit.”
A vision brought to life
By combining teamwork and technology, the digital launch of the all-new Volvo VNL was a massive success. Over 7,000 people watched the online reveal of the truck — showcasing a reimagined and improved model that’s safer, more fuel efficient, and more driver-focused — and the event set an industry benchmark for how truck launches should be conducted.
And the improvements go well beyond launch day. Since adopting Edge Delivery Services, Volvo Trucks North America has dramatically improved the customer experience on its website — such as overall functionality and visuals, dealer locator performance, and user engagement — including a 1,000% increase with the truck configurator tool, which allows customers to design their own truck. It’s also seen improved overall site performance, with a Google Lighthouse score that soared from 35 to a perfect 100; increased website traffic of over 350% more visitors; a 108% increase in page views; and a bounce rate that was reduced by 21%.
“The success with Experience Manager Sites has had a major impact on the content team. They are excited that they can see their vision come to life, and when they hit ‘publish,’ they know it’s going to work. It’s just a beautiful story.”
Joe Salling
Director of Truck Sales, Marketing, and CRM for Volvo Trucks North America and Mack Trucks Inc.
Internally, the evolution has been game-changing. With document-based publishing, content editors can make changes on the site quickly and easily without the need for complex coding knowledge. A site audit revealed that core web vitals are at 100%, meaning the migration of over 700 pages was made with minimal errors for internal teams to address.
“The success with Experience Manager Sites has had a major impact on the content team,” Salling says. “They cannot contain their smiles. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining or snowing sideways — they are excited that they can see their vision come to life, and when they hit ‘publish,’ they know it’s going to work. It’s just a beautiful story.”
With Edge Delivery Services in Adobe Experience Manager Sites, Volvo Trucks’ digital footprint is transformed — and it can continue to evolve with the latest technology. “Our goal is to be number one, but if you don't have a great foundation, then your hopes and dreams don't go anywhere,” Salling says. “Adobe has given us the foundation to take Volvo Trucks North America to the next level and build a brighter future.”
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