Eurotunnel is implementing a content management system as part of a five-year initiative to transform its website from an online brochure into an interactive, revenue generating site.

The project has been outsourced to hosting company 1eEurope, allowing Eurotunnel to manage the data collected from its transactional website more efficiently.

1eEurope is using Java to customise products from US content management vendor Reef to connect to Eurotunnel's back-end databases.

At least 30 per cent of all bookings for the Eurostar and freight trains made through Eurotunnel are carried out online. The number of unique visitors has increased dramatically from an average of 2,000 a month to about 10,000.

Eurotunnel already sells tickets through its website, but the content management system is not due to go live until early next year.

Ebusiness manager Patrick Etienne explained that the company reviewed its site during the dotcom boom last year to see how it could benefit from putting more services online. The overall aim was to increase traffic and revenue through cross selling and to improve customer retention.

Eurotunnel has extended its Points Plus loyalty scheme online, and plans to allow users to book accommodation as well as train tickets.

"One of the key objectives is to develop a site that will better our brand. We expect to have a new design, which will create a better atmosphere for the customer," said Etienne.

The company chose 1eEurope mainly on price, but Etienne believes that, as it is a smaller player, 1eEurope will be able to work with Eurotunnel more closely.

"Eurotunnel is not a company that can afford BroadVision or Vignette. We need a company which is more adaptable to what we want to do on the net," he said.

Eurotunnel opted for a hosting company based in the UK because of its locality and the quality of its network, Etienne added.