Tires Plus launches new web site and gets a new Internet marketing chief

With a Sept. 1 re-launch of its web site, Tires Plus Inc., which operates 472 stores in 22 states, has named Tires Plus veteran Bill Ardiff as director of advertising and Internet marketing. He previously held just the director of advertising title.

The new TiresPlus.com will provide shoppers with a market specific price as they search for tires and will allow them to schedule an appointment for tire installation or other service online. Before the redesign, customers had to submit requests for quotes and receive prices via e-mail. Eventually, the site will allow customers to order tires for delivery.

“The new site directly implements suggestions we’ve received from our guests,” Ardiff says. “We’ve found that, as with any major purchase, people simply want to research the product, get a quote and make an appointment to get it done. Very few people look forward to auto repair or buying tires. By coupling the new web site with our customer service ‘Promise to Care’ initiative, we strive to make what is considered a negative/necessity purchase into a positive customer service experience.”

With the re-launch, Tires Plus will start a search engine marketing campaign, using MarketSource IMS, Ardiff reports.

The new design will be cleaner and easier to use, Ardiff says, and will include educational material, such as explanations of wheel alignment and details about what a brake job entails. The site also will include a configurator that will allow buyers to see custom wheels on their model of car.

The new site was designed by The Integer Group. Mercury Consulting Corp. performed the integration between the web site and Tires Plus’s back end systems.