Capgemini, a global consulting, technology and outsourcing services, has launched its AutomotiveConnect for Retailers. Today, retailer groups must exceed customer expectations and deliver a highly personalised digital experience both in-store and online. This new service is designed to help automotive dealers deploy the latest digital technology and harness new data streams to drive sales and profitability, increase customer retention and improve operational efficiency.
Capgemini’s AutomotiveConnect for Retailers leverages the company’s broad consulting and technology expertise to help dealers, distributors and importers navigate this shifting landscape with focused services in 4 specific areas:
1) Connected Customer – despite an influx of digital-first disruptors, 95 percent of automotive customers still visit a showroom before purchasing a car. But the service they expect is changing. Customers now want a product expert, not a salesperson, in the showroom and they want dealers to connect their digital browsing behavior to the in-showroom experience. A captivating digital experience is now customers’ expectation, not an extra.
2) Connected Vehicle – 47% of customers expect to be able to use Connected Vehicle features in their next vehicle. This provides dealers with a huge opportunity to offer connected capabilities from OEM brands and value-added services after sale. Vehicle connectivity drives data to understand what services customers want, and use these insights to retain competitive advantage. The technology giants and leading OEMs are already on this path – dealer groups must also take advantage.
3) Connected Insights – with the help of Capgemini’s Automotive Insights Laboratory, enables retailer groups to interpret vehicle, customer, market and environmental data to make smarter decisions to provide customers with the right range of cars and accessories to suit their preferences. This industry knowledge, combined with an understanding of the local market will help dealers anticipate purchasing trends and ensure that they are effectively responding to customer needs.
4) Connected Operations – Over two thirds of customers want frequent updates on the progress of their car delivery after purchase. This expectation puts pressure on dealers to ensure their entire supply chain is connected. Retailer groups processing large amounts of inventory can benefit from new technology tools, which can increase staff efficiency and among others include a 360-degree asset view, improved fleet management and inventory visibility. This Connected Operations offering will help dealers drive efficiency through the implementation of digital platforms that integrate inventory management, financial, human capital and other legacy systems.
Capgemini customer, US-based Southeast Toyota LLC, the world’s largest independent distributor of Toyota and Scion vehicles, highlights the value of these services, “As long as the industry continues to support change, we are going to continue to invest a significant amount of resources in modernizing our systems and processes, in ways that can make us better at adding value to Toyota and our dealers.”
Kai Grambow, Global Head of Automotive, Capgemini said, “Dealers are an essential part of the automotive buying process, providing customers with a trusted source of expertise, local market knowledge and a hands-on vehicle experience. But in a market place where digital is disrupting the purchasing cycle and new competitors like Tesla and Apple emerge, dealers need to protect their competitive advantage by staying ahead of the curve and incorporating digital technologies into their sales model. By harnessing the growing stream of automotive data to drive better customer experiences, dealers will create a winning formula that keeps customers coming back year after year.”
Capgemini’s AutomotiveConnect for Retailers is an extension of its AutomotiveConnect for OEMs and AutomotiveConnect for Suppliers, which were successfully launched earlier to support the automotive industry in driving customer value. All offerings will be serviced by the company’s Automotive Insights Laboratory, where a global specialized team of consultants, analysts and data scientists collate and dissect data in real-time to provide customer insights and predict future consumer behavior.
