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Automotive industry: Dario Palma, Product & Innovative Services Manager – Mercedes-Benz Italia S.p.A.
Automotive: Dario Palma, Responsabile Product Management & Innovative Services – Mercedes-Benz Italia S.p.A.
16 Luglio 2020
Automotive industry: Mattia Vanini, Partner & Project Manager Gruppo Autotorino
20 Luglio 2020
The pandemic appeared when the automotive industry, and the sector of mobility in general, was undergoing a transformation in terms of both the way customers access products and because of the increasing importance of environmental issues. How are you facing this scenario and what will be the trends that will characterise the design and use of the car of the future? What will the consequences be on purchase behaviour?
There have been clear repercussions from the pandemic on the automotive market, as sales were eliminated during the months-long lockdown, but at the same time this event also accelerated various processes that we had been developing for some time. I am referring, in particular, to our online showroom, which experienced a rapid increase in accesses during the lockdown. We saw the same trend in the market for cars with the lowest environmental impact – electrical cars. These had a major increase, with an opposite trend to cars with traditional engines. These are two indicators that confirm that our strategy is moving in the right direction and that we have the right environment for driving and accommodating new purchase behaviours.
How, if at all, has the relationship with dealers changed? What role will the showroom have as a physical and real space? Will the flexibility the pandemic required also be a feature in the months and years ahead?
Our actions during the emergency will have an effect on the trust the market shows us when we finally get out of the crisis, which is why we tried to remain as close as possible to our associates and partners throughout the country. Our Network has already demonstrated over time that it is extremely interested in the advent of digitalisation. The perfect integration between the physical world and the digital universe represents a strategic element of the Best Customer Experience 4.0. This is the perspective from which the architecture and professionalism is changing within our dealers’ showrooms, as these transform into genuine points of experience. I believe that flexibility is a virtue, irrespectively of the fact this was spurred on by the emergency: we should all learn to be more flexible to strengthen the three driving principals that will carry our Company in the coming years: innovation, performance and reputation.
The perfect integration between the physical world and the digital universe represents a strategic element of the Best Customer Experience 4.
The automotive sector had already grasped the opportunities connected with the digital world prior to the emergency. In recent months the focus and interest by many sectors towards digitalisation – as a sales channel and a means of interacting with customers – has increased even more rapidly. What, if anything, is changing in the automotive sector?
Today Customers want to stay in touch with their favourite brands, wherever they are and at any time of the day. To respond to this requirement, we are revolutionising the sales network to continue to satisfy, even in the digital era, the expectations that are being directed towards the Brand. With the opening of our Online Showroom, several months before the pandemic, the ‘Best Customer Experience 4.0’ acquired a new important tool in the global sales strategy. The Online Showroom is the first step of a new approach for the brand and represents a digital connection between the real and virtual worlds, that makes contact between customers and Dealers easier, more direct and immediate. Thanks to the synergy with the network of Dealers throughout the country, the online store guarantees new business opportunities, by offering a showcase of all the vehicles available for immediate delivery from the network of Dealerships. Mercedes-Benz Italia chosen as the pilot market is the first to have adopted this sales channel, that is integrated with traditional sales channels.
How did you deal with the lockdown in terms of communication? What have you learnt from this period, in terms of both the activities you engaged in and the relationship with customers? Will the way you communicate change, for example by using messages that are linked more to the brand rather than the product? What marketing and communication strategies can we expect to see in broad terms and what are the specific plans for online marketing and communication to end users?
Sustainability, trust, ethical consumption and virtuous integration between the digital and human experience represent the future of this sector and communication reflects and promotes these values. During the lockdown our communication stemmed mainly from these three values. We used our social media channels to spread public service messages linked to the Covid emergency and, at the same time, through our digital platforms, we created innovative formats to launch new products whose debuts had been affected by the lockdown. We worked with our Captive, Merfina, to develop long term rental options with zero down payment and very low and accessible fees for the first six months, by trying to help our customers resume consumption and spending.
Sustainability, trust, ethical consumption and virtuous integration between the digital and human experience represent the future of this sector and communication reflects and promotes these values
