A future-proof headless CMS for Beaphar
2023 - Beaphar manufactures pet pharmaceuticals, healthcare products, and premium pet foods. The company provides high quality and accessible health, care, and nutrition products for pets and their families in more than 80 countries worldwide.
The challenge: An outdated and complicated platform
The company was in dire need of a new website, with the old CMS being over 10 years old.
“While Beaphar is headquartered in the Netherlands, our global presence meant we needed multiple regional websites to support our brand across countries in Europe and beyond. Our previous CMS was over a decade old, and we started noticing bottlenecks when different teams wanted to edit content.”
A project group was formed with colleagues across several departments and countries (Product Owners, Customer Service, Sales, Marketing). Given my extensive experience in building and launching websites, I was asked to lead the project. Digging deeper into the system, I quickly identified the bottlenecks:
Edits made by one country’s team would unintentionally alter content on other regional websites.
Automatic system updates disrupted workflows.
Frequent downtime undermined reliability.
“Drafting the demands for the website, I knew we needed a CMS that was fast, intuitive, and scalable — one that empowered marketers, supported multiple locations/ websites, and offered strong SEO features. We also wanted future-proof ecommerce capabilities for both B2C and B2B customers.”
The solution: A system that ticked all the boxes
I applied my expertise in website building, marketing tools selection, and digital processes to lead a thorough exploration and pitch phase. We compared multiple CMS platforms, evaluating usability, features, pricing, and scalability. Magnolia CMS emerged as the ideal solution:
User-friendly and intuitive interface
Visual SPA editor with real-time content previews
Component-based page building with drag-and-drop capabilities
Multisite management for global consistency
Working with over two dozen marketers, role-based permissions were essential. We wanted HR teams to be able to edit recruitment pages without affecting product content. We also integrated Magnolia with key third-party systems:
SalesLayer PIM for product information management
Spotler for email automation
This headless CMS architecture provided the flexibility to connect seamlessly with future B2B portals and B2C webshops, so we could provide customers with a seamless experience.
The result: Strengthened position as pet healthcare expert
The implementation was a major success internally and externally:
Content managers gained flexibility and speed.
SEO structure improved significantly, boosting visibility in search results.
Mobile performance was enhanced, supporting increased traffic and engagement.
Downtime risks were minimized, ensuring reliability.
“Magnolia’s multisite management allowed us to reuse content across countries, improving brand consistency and efficiency. The visual SPA editor empowered marketers to publish faster, while developers enjoyed greater stability.”
Since implementing Magnolia as its CMS, the team can provide more helpful content to its audience, thus strengthening its position as thought leader and pet healthcare expert. The new website offers a more intuitive design, better interactivity, and better usability for both desktop and mobile users.
Increased performance
The visual SPA editor enables fast and easy content publishing for marketers. As well, Magnolia’s multisite management allows for content reuse from one country’s website to another, improving the consistency of the Beaphar brand across borders. Overall Beaphar now enjoys:
Better overall traffic and increased time on site
Improved editor and developer happiness
Increased mobile usage
Better performance during peak traffic
Much quicker publication and distribution of content
A future-proof platform
With Magnolia’s headless CMS, Beaphar now has the necessary infrastructure to integrate ecommerce capabilities such as a B2B portal and a B2C webshop into the website in the future. The rollout of the regional Beaphar websites on Magnolia is just the beginning. “Our digital team continuously analyzes, refines and optimizes the platform to provide the Beaphar teams and customers with the best possible service.” The project was a success both internally and externally, underscoring the project’s excellence in digital transformation and global brand consistency.
Credits
Project lead: Marlies Nijmeijer
CMS Vendor: Magnolia
Website design: June20
Website development: Trimm
