Unified brand experience, regional customer experience
Although people research and familiarise themselves with cars online, most new car purchases happen in dealerships, at showrooms or at trade shows. That's why Toyota Motor Europe (TME) is not only showcasing their new models in showrooms but striving to provide potential customers in 35 different countries with a consistent brand and innovative customer experience through hybrid retail channels.
Toyota's 'New Retail Concept' focuses on digital tools to help customers buy their dream cars. By ensuring that the local marketing and sales teams can provide their showroom visitors with relevant local content, we not only improve the customer experience, but also support the entire sales process for both the sales reps and the retailers.
To provide showroom visitors in 35 different country clusters with digital content to support sales and elevate Toyota's brand and customer experience. To highlight Toyota as a digital innovator and expert through localised digital content, thus helping the brand to stay way ahead of their competition.
Advance support and create a framework for a modular Adobe Screens content application. Ensure that the central content management system (Adobe Experience Manager) communicates seamlessly with screens in all Toyota showrooms in Europe.
Toyota Motor Europe and iO
Toyota Motor Europe (TME) is responsible for the sales, marketing and development of future models in 35 European country clusters. They play a critical role in the transformation of Toyota into a mobility company with connected technologies.
iO and TME have been digital partners since 2007. We support the brand with digital marketing tools, such as the car configurator and a search platform so that buyers can locate stock and used cars easily on the TME websites. We have an established record of providing support in the context of questions, problems or requests for optimisations in the context of this pan-European configurator.
Our collaboration has continued to expand, we have been working with Network & BRiT (Best Retail in Town) since 2022, focusing on the in showroom customer experience.
A dedicated team within iO focuses on this branch of TME, creating innovative, digital touchscreen experiences in all retailers for the coming years as part of the "New Retail Concept". With our expertise in digital technologies and strong focus on collaboration, we want to help the car manufacturer move forward in the rapidly evolving digital world.
Personal and innovative showroom experience
Toyota Motor Europe developed a new retail concept to improve the in-showroom customer experience. This concept with new exterior and interior elements, as well as digital signage, will be rolled out in every showroom across Europe over the next 3 years. Unifying the brand, while bringing the correct model and brand information to the visitor via the touchscreens and still leaving space for the essential local touches. TME already has extensive experience with Adobe's content management system, Adobe Experience Manager. Content is managed centrally but is also open to the local marketing divisions.
The new retail concept, developed by TME in 2022 in collaboration with its partners, aims to give visitors a showroom experience that towers over their competition. Through touchscreens at various locations at the retailers, customers immerse themselves in the world of Toyota and can discover the full range of what the brand has to offer. For example, they can discover everything about tailor-made mobility solutions in one corner of the screens and in another corner, they can configure their dream car or search for a used car.
To achieve this, TME asked us to develop and expand the framework further with additional components for the Adobe Screens content application. This will facilitate the flow of local information and content from the central CMS to the touchscreens.
A dedicated iO team takes care of this, developing the application for Adobe Screens in the Adobe Experience Manager platform. This modular application offers scalable navigation and a wide range of components – from USPs and text components to videos and integrated applications such as the car configurator. This allows each country to customise its own content and localise the videos, navigation and content on the displays in line with their own needs.
Digital tools and search platforms: more customer satisfaction
To reinforce the new showroom concept, TME wants to roll out the digital marketing tools we developed for their website on the showroom displays as well. This ambitious plan is a crucial part of the digital and personal content experience that TME wants to offer visitors to their locations.
Customers create their ideal car using the configurator screen in the retail locations, that was developed by the iO Team. Previous configurations can be retrieved on the screens using a 9-digit code. This is useful for dealers when discussing potential orders.
The TME website’s user-friendly stock and used vehicles search platform has been seamlessly integrated into the ecosystem of displays in the showrooms.
In the meantime, we also built an electric vehicle (EV) calculation tool that helps visitors simulate how much electric driving would cost them, and the impact that their daily journeys would have on the car’s range. When developing all these tools and components, we always prepare the necessary documentation to inform the different countries how they can be localised and integrated on their local screens.
At the heart of pan European cooperation
Rolling out the content application across 35 European borders is a collaboration between several of TME's partners: the sales and marketing divisions in the 35 countries, as well as local stakeholders, suppliers such as Samsung and Trison for hardware support, and of course Adobe for the software. Needless to say, this requires rigorous coordination, something iO is keen to manage. We ensure that all involved parties are pursuing the same goals and are working through the development of all new features and technical improvements together.
iO are the first-line of support for questions, problems and change requests from local teams or partner agencies concerning the screens. We resolve issues before they become problems and ensure close follow-up on all incoming tickets.
Finally, we also provide all the necessary documentation for the countries involved and offer online training to ensure that the onboarding in the project is seamless.
Accelerating into the future
TME's renewed retail concept has been warmly received. TME can easily focus marketing content through the Adobe Experience Manager, the Adobe Screens app, and the central content management system, by country and to individual screens. Local teams can translate this global content or add their own material, such as texts, USPs, videos, transforming showroom displays into being valuable interactive tools to enhance the customer experience and support sales conversations.
In collaboration with TME, we work constantly to improve the digital customer experience in showrooms and online. For example, we developed an efficient reporting system with Adobe Analytics that provides us with valuable data. Analysing this data helps us to optimise local and national screen content, that improves customer experiences. We look forward to continuing this journey and innovating together with TME to enrich customer experiences. Our collaboration is a constant process that focuses on adapting and improving every stage of the customer journey.
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