Client Overview

The Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply (CIPS) is a leading global membership organisation serving the procurement and supply profession. In 2015, CIPS partnered with Haymarket Media Group to produce their magazine Supply Management and deliver a range of global events. As part of this strategic partnership, CIPS needed to develop a new global website for Supply Management, integrated within the existing CIPS.org website, to expand their digital presence and unify their content offerings.

Challenge

CIPS required a modern, fully integrated digital platform that would seamlessly connect the Supply Management website with the main CIPS website, providing users with a cohesive online experience. The new site needed to be developed within the existing EPiServer Content Management System (CMS) to ensure consistency and ease of use for staff. The project included the challenge of migrating over 18,000 pages of existing content, ensuring that all data remained intact and optimised for search engines. The Supply Management magazine is a membership benefit provided by CIPS, this project saw the introduction of a digital version of the magazine made available in a magazine reader and would sit behind the login, ensuring only members could access the content. Additionally, the platform had to support responsive design to enhance usability across various devices and include a robust single sign-on (SSO) solution that would allow members to access benefits across both sites and control the gated content ensuring the correct audiences could access the right articles.

Solution

PSP's website development team collaborated closely with CIPS and Haymarket to turn the new designs for Supply Management into a fully functional, responsive website within the existing EPiServer platform. The project began with developing dynamic, responsive pages to ensure optimal performance on Apple, Android and Windows devices, making the site accessible to a wide range of users. The implementation of a comprehensive search facility allowed content to be searchable across both CIPS.org and the Supply Management site, promoting cross-traffic and a more integrated user experience.

To support CIPS’s global membership, PSP developed a single sign-on (SSO) solution, enabling users to log in once and seamlessly access content and member benefits on both platforms. Additionally, extensive data migration scripts were created to transfer approximately 18,000 pages of existing Supply Management content to the new platform, maintaining the integrity of articles, news, and editorial pieces. PSP’s rigorous testing and quality assurance processes ensured that all migrated content was accessible, well-organised and search engine-optimised from the moment of launch.

PSP also provided training and detailed user guides for CIPS’s editorial and marketing teams to ensure smooth adoption of the new platform. This included conducting user acceptance testing (UAT) to verify the system’s functionality and ensure that all stakeholders were confident in using the new features.

Results

The new Supply Management website, launched in January 2016, provided CIPS with a modern, integrated digital platform that significantly enhanced their online presence. Early results indicated a 20% increase in total page views and a 27% rise in unique visitors compared to the same period in the previous year, demonstrating improved engagement and a better user experience. The responsive design made the site accessible on all devices, while the powerful search functionality encouraged users to explore content across both the Supply Management and CIPS websites.

The single sign-on feature simplified member access, boosting satisfaction by allowing users to navigate seamlessly between sites. The successful migration of over 18,000 pages ensured that the site was rich in content from day one, providing timely news, analysis and opinion pieces that kept users engaged. The project’s success was further supported by PSP’s focus on user training and comprehensive support, which facilitated a smooth handover and ensured the CIPS/Haymarket teams could manage content confidently.

Conclusion

PSP’s collaboration with CIPS and Haymarket Media Group delivered a cutting-edge, fully integrated website that enhanced the digital presence of Supply Management. By developing a responsive, user-friendly platform and implementing a robust single sign-on solution, PSP enabled CIPS to offer a seamless, engaging experience to its global community. The project’s success, marked by increased traffic and highlights PSP’s expertise in delivering complex, high-stakes digital solutions that drive business value. With a unified platform and improved functionality, CIPS is now better positioned to support its members and expand its reach within the procurement and supply profession.