[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/02\/22\/how-carmakers-can-get-back-on-track-focus-on-the-customer\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/02\/22\/how-carmakers-can-get-back-on-track-focus-on-the-customer\/","headline":"How carmakers can get back on track: Focus on the customer","name":"How carmakers can get back on track: Focus on the customer","description":"In order to remain competitive, carmakers need to double down on customer experience. Find out how one brand does it.","datePublished":"2022-02-22","dateModified":"2024-06-13","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/kirsten-schmidt\/#Person","name":"Kirsten Schmidt","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/contributor\/kirsten-schmidt\/","identifier":610,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0d6f3541b8a895ff73e03ad5c82ef3847c89b7bb158ecc0d93186f285000fc6f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0d6f3541b8a895ff73e03ad5c82ef3847c89b7bb158ecc0d93186f285000fc6f?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"The Future of Commerce","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo-foc-schema-app-1.png","width":172,"height":60}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Customer-centric-car-maker_FTR.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Customer-centric-car-maker_FTR.jpg","height":375,"width":1200},"url":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/02\/22\/how-carmakers-can-get-back-on-track-focus-on-the-customer\/","video":{"@context":"http:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"VideoObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4isgmaHYNSA#VideoObject","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4isgmaHYNSA","name":"How Customer Centricity Is Helping Carmakers Turn the Corner","description":"As more brands implement digital-first strategies to go to market, a question often asked is: How did digital platforms become the new normal for retail? In this episode of K5 Commerce Cast, K5 CEO Sven Rittau, Bj\u00f6rn Schick, Director CX smart Europe GmbH, Kai Hudetz, and Stefan Binkowski, SAP Retail & Consumer Business Development Director break down the e-commerce evolution and talk about, how smart Is Driving Customer Centricity for the Win.  \n\nWatch all K5 commerce Cast episodes, powered by SAP, here: http:\/\/sap.to\/6050KzZna\n\nTo learn more about SAP Commerce Cloud, please visit us at: https:\/\/www.sap.com\/products\/crm\/e-commerce-platforms.html\n\n#ecommerce #onlineretailers #futuretrends #SAPCommerceCloud #SAPCustomerExperience #CustomerCentricity #digitalplatforms","thumbnailUrl":["https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/4isgmaHYNSA\/default.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/4isgmaHYNSA\/mqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/4isgmaHYNSA\/hqdefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/4isgmaHYNSA\/sddefault.jpg","https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/4isgmaHYNSA\/maxresdefault.jpg"],"uploadDate":"2022-02-03T20:06:36+00:00","duration":"PT42M1S","embedUrl":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4isgmaHYNSA","publisher":{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCJ-J9ws028X7ASicv0-r8dQ#Organization","url":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCJ-J9ws028X7ASicv0-r8dQ","name":"SAP Customer Experience","description":"The official SAP Customer Experience (SAP CX) YouTube channel.  \n\nCheck out product demos, executive presentations, great customer experiences, customer and partner stories and more!\n\nSAP privacy statement for followers: www.sap.com\/sps \n\nFor more information from SAP Customer Experience or to have someone from SAP Customer Experience contact you please go to: cx.sap.com","logo":{"url":"https:\/\/yt3.ggpht.com\/Xh1UKLBf2zMxSEnvtd-X9C7nv3-dc9FCbfDkMhrO6DSRQYKMH_rdLPYabMMsf9FRYSmNTbVNow=s800-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj","width":800,"height":800,"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4isgmaHYNSA#VideoObject_publisher_logo_ImageObject"}},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4isgmaHYNSA#VideoObject_potentialAction","target":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4isgmaHYNSA&t={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"},"interactionStatistic":[[{"@type":"InteractionCounter","@id":"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4isgmaHYNSA#VideoObject_interactionStatistic_WatchAction","interactionType":{"@type":"WatchAction"},"userInteractionCount":129}]]},"about":["Auto","B2C Commerce",{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/","name":"Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q26643"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/e-commerce\/","name":"E-Commerce","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/E-commerce","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q484847"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/commerce\/industries\/","name":"Industries","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Industry","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q2976602"]},{"@type":"Thing","@id":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/retail\/","name":"Retail","sameAs":["https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Retail","http:\/\/www.wikidata.org\/entity\/Q126793"]},"Retail Trends, Data, News"],"wordCount":699,"keywords":["Automotive","COVID-19 | Coronavirus","Customer Centricity","Customer Engagement"],"articleBody":"The automotive industry is considered to be the engine of the German economy, and German car brands are renowned worldwide. But the pandemic hit German manufacturers and suppliers hard. Carmakers that want to remain competitive must realign their business models to suit their customers’ rapidly changing needs.While it\u2019s true that a survey of the global automotive industry by consulting firm EY revealed that record profits were earned in the first half of 2021, car sales appear to be stalling. According to the German Association of the Automotive Industry, around 25% fewer new cars hit the roads in the first seven months of 2021 compared with the same period in 2019.\u201cAs a result, the pre-crisis level in the German car market is still out of view,\u201d the association said.What\u2019s more, the industry is in the midst of an enormous technological disruption. The days of the internal combustion engine seem to be numbered, with topics such as digital manufacturing, electromobility, autonomous and connected driving, and new mobility offerings keeping manufacturers busy. But in order to succeed, carmakers have to do more than innovate.The industry would be well advised to rethink its approach from the ground up by focusing on customer centricity.      Customer centricity explained: Why CX matters in the data-driven era                Customer centricity is the act of putting your customers at the heart of everything an organization does. To be customer-centric, brands should consider a customer data platform - here\u2019s why.      Carmakers: Keeping up with the customer\u201cCustomers are no longer willing to wait, they\u2019re making demands. And tomorrow, they\u2019ll probably demand something completely new again,\u201d says Urs Kr\u00e4mer, CEO of Sopra Steria Consulting.Meeting these ever-changing demands on an individual basis and, when possible, staying a step ahead has become key to success in the digital economy for carmakers and brands in all industries.\u201cThe Individual Customer,\u201d a study by Sopra Steria and the F.A.Z. Institute, confirms this trend. According to the study, companies that are focused on their customers in everything they do are much more competitive than other companies.However, consistent customer centricity requires companies get a handle on their own datasets, first and foremost. According to the study\u2019s authors, this is still an issue in many places.For example, many companies lack a clear data strategy that includes the information that’s already available internally. Having an effective and strategic way to manage customer data opens the door\u00a0 to new approaches and personalization that increases customer loyalty.      Customer data management strategy: 7 keys to growth, CX, loyalty                Brands need to adopt these 7 key principles around customer data management to help define their overall data strategy and goals.      Getting closer to the customer: smart shows how it’s doneThe car brand provides an example of how carmakers can achieve customer centricity. This year, Daimler\u2019s subsidiary plans to not only launch a new generation of A-segment cars, but also to deliver an innovative business model with data-driven direct sales to customers.To do so, the OEM will control all customer touchpoints centrally. What this means in practice is that sales will take place on the car manufacturer\u2019s e-commerce platform in the future.“As a result, we have a customer journey that we can coordinate in a very personalized manner,” says Bj\u00f6rn Schick, Director CX smart Europe GmbH.This centralized, direct sales model also includes services, providing a holistic view that allows smart to get closer to the actual needs of the customer, he adds.This content is hosted by a third party ( www.youtube.com ).To view the content, either update your cookie preferences or view it in a new browser window.Cookie PreferencesNew WindowA lot of brands have a long way to go in taking these kind of steps to improve customer experience.\u201cMany companies still think in terms of individual channels, but customers don\u2019t care about channels at all,\u201d explains Kai Hudetz, managing director of the Institute for Retail Research (IFH) in Cologne.He advises companies to connect the different touchpoints seamlessly and orchestrate an end-to-end customer experience.  Rev up revenue + customer loyalty.Discover how digital tech is transforming the auto industry HERE."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"2022","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"02","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/\/02\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"22","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/\/02\/\/22\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"How carmakers can get back on track: Focus on the customer","item":"https:\/\/www.the-future-of-commerce.com\/2022\/02\/22\/how-carmakers-can-get-back-on-track-focus-on-the-customer\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]