Digital on four wheels.
How do you even associate the words Digitaland Transformation with an industry that has changed its offer only incrementally since 1885 when Mr. Benz patented the Motorwagen?
In roughly 137 years, even if infinitely more complex and faster, automotive products still maintain the initially designed core elements such as four wheels, a steering wheel, and seats for passengers.
Most importantly, it solves the exact same need it was invented for: moving people or goods from A to B.
2020 – a digital year, not by choice.
2020 has not been a normal year as we all know, and unfortunately the global pandemic has impacted and shaped the way we all live and interact with each other.
However, in the digital space, COVID-19 has been the main driver of a massive disruption wave that, in less than 12 months, has singularly caused a significant spike in digital adaptions across several industries and business areas.
In order to run their day-to-day operations businesses had to solely rely on the digital space and its tools, given the many restrictions in place in the offline world. The main consequence of limiting people movement in the physical world for our industry has been a drastic reduction of dealership footfall.
Offline Showroom Visit. Source: 3rd party externa supplier based on specific location
On the other side, the traffic across the digital properties has skyrocketed with a massive spike of online visits at the beginning of the lockdown. Since customers were not able to visit physical showrooms, online car configurators registered the highest number of interactions in a short spam of time. What most people in our industry did not believe to be possible, it was achieved with Virtual consultation, online configurations, on demand test drives to home and finally car home deliveries.
By: Antonio Mara, Digital Marketing Manager at Porsche Middle East and Africa
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