CASE STUDY
Putting data in the driver’s seat
Reinventing automotive sales: A new era for smart
3-MINUTE READ
Rethinking e-commerce in a new era
Car brand smart was ready to relaunch as a source of digitized and electric vehicles. But why stop at a company reinvention when you can revolutionize everything about auto sales at the same time?
For smart, the vision went beyond the usual online sales platform tied to a traditional dealership model. The company wanted a direct sales model that connected online and offline experiences and reflected the circuitous way people make purchases, as well as an ecosystem that tapped into its wealth of data. It needed a marketing platform that offered a true end-to-end digital customer experience as well as the data capabilities to fuel future growth and innovation. With Accenture as its partner, smart took the platform from idea to launch in 2.5 years—a fraction of the usual time; within 24 hours of launch in Germany, an entire line of cars sold out.
Designed for a data-driven future
The new platform, built from scratch, puts commerce at its core. It features advanced customizations, multi-medium customer service and connections to offline experiences such as test drives. Users can trigger a purchase at any point and complete it entirely online, resulting in a seamless, immersive experience.
What users see is a smooth, seamless experience. What they don't see is the technology that makes it possible. smart and Accenture created both the back-end—leveraging solutions from Adobe, SAP and Salesforce—and a custom, serverless, cloud-native front end for greater flexibility. A decoupling layer makes it easy to add or remove features, while a design system ensures consistency. The platform captures data from many sources in one place to deliver better insights.
Statistics
24
Number of hours after launch it took to sell out an entire line of cars
2.5
Number of years it took to bring platform from idea to launch, a fraction of the usual time of 6 years
A business model built on tech
Now, smart has a central platform for lean operations internally and a smooth customer journey externally—as well as a groundbreaking business model for direct sales and groundwork for data-driven future. Building both platform and business model from scratch is no small feat—but with a hyper-personalized approach and a new vision for direct sales, smart is making a big leap into the future.
Meet the team
Christian Kleikamp
Managing Director – Global Lead Automotive Strategy Consulting
LinkedIn
Christian Barth
Managing Director – Accenture Song ASG
LinkedIn
Daniel Gonsior
Managing Director – Accenture Song ASG
LinkedIn