Online Sales

The increasing importance of digitized sales channels

Sell there where the customer is

Increasing digitization across all industries is opening up new sales and marketing opportunities. Social media such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat have experienced breathtaking growth rates in recent years. We are currently experiencing this in a similar form with the video portal TikTok. But while advertising is becoming increasingly precise and differentiated in addressing the respective target group, some industries are lagging behind their customers’ expectations of sales channels.

In addition to “classic” online marketing, for example via e-mail campaigns, current campaigns tailored to the target group can be set up quickly and cost-effectively via social media. The success of these campaigns can be easily measured with technical possibilities within the framework of campaign tracking. If a company integrates online marketing into its touchpoints and ordering systems, the sales success of individual campaigns can be measured against real sales and analyzed using suitable key performance indicators (KPIs). Future campaigns can then be optimized based on the results. Likewise, those touchpoints can be identified at which interested parties drop out and do not become customers.

The importance of digital sales models for the automotive industry

In order to continue to reach customers, i.e. to retain existing customers in the long term and win new ones, the automotive industry in Germany must act quickly so that it does not lose touch with international competition. A key challenge here is to secure customer acceptance and trust. For this to succeed, data and payment security, simple complaints processing and other services must be ensured above all. This also includes aftersales services, i.e., all marketing measures taken by manufacturers and service providers to bind customers to their own product, service, brand, or business after a successful transaction or sale.

Pioneer instead of laggard

Some companies have already started selling vehicles online. Tesla, for example, offers its vehicles for sale online on its own website. Tesla Stores, on the other hand, mainly serve as showrooms for potential customers. Mercedes-Benz, like the U.S. manufacturer, offers numerous vehicles for sale and lease online.
Fully automated car dealerships have also already gained a foothold; for example, Caravana opened its first automated dealership in 2013. Another example can be found in Singapore. There, customers of the provider Autobahn Motors can buy luxury cars such as a Ferrari; and they can do so in a fully automated car dealership whose setup is comparable to that of a giant self-service machine.
The digital transformation in the automotive industry will continue to progress inexorably and permanently change the previously established market processes. For long-term success and survival on the market, the industry must not close its mind to this development.

Consileon supports automotive manufacturers in the digital transformation

Consileon has been your reliable partner for online marketing and sales in the automotive sector since 2002. Since then, we have accompanied our customers in the restructuring of their marketing and sales, in the digital transformation and in the development of a fully integrated webshop.
In addition to campaign management, our expertise lies in particular in the design, implementation and further development as well as the global rollout of various online applications for end customers. These include online configurators, the dealer search, contact modules or artificial intelligence-based customer recommendations of a requirements configurator.

Benefit from our many years of know-how. You will receive comprehensive support from us for your digitization project.

The networking of online and retail

Retail in the automotive industry is traditionally characterized by large sales areas with face-to-face sales in car dealerships. Due to the capital intensity of this business model, this is where digitization comes in. Since customers must continue to be at the center of business, it is important to satisfy their wishes well and sustainably.