DirecttoConsumerSalesinAutomotive米Directtoconsumersalesinautomotive2AutomotiveD2Cisaquestionofwhen,notif.Autocompanieswillsteadilyshifttoadirect-to-convenienceandflexibilin-personinteractions.米Directtoconsumersalesinautomotive3Directtoconsumerbusinessmodelshelpcustomersfeelliketheyareincontrol.Thepandemic,whichforcedvirtualsalesprocessestobeadopted,showedthatconsumersarewillingtopurchaseanexpensivevehiclewithoutseeingitfirst.Theshifttodirect-to-consumer(D2C)saleofif,butwhen.However,settingupasimplewebsite.Theexperiencemustbefrictionless,andbuyersstillneedtobeabletospeakwithexpertswhocanhandlenon-traditionalsituations.Connectiontophysicalretaillocationsisstillneededforin-personsupportandothertypesofservices.Manyconsumerbrandsnowaresuccessfuoperatingadualsalesmodel.Applestores,awebportalandresellers.AndNikehasseenthebenefitsofsellingD2Cfyearsnow.SportsenthusiastapremiumtoorderacustomizedpairofJordansdirectfromNike.Consumergoodscompaniesandevenhigh-endluxurygoodsmanufacturersareleveragingsomeformofdirect-to-consumerlikesubscriptions,aredeliveringtheproductsinawaythatbestsuitstcreatingbetterconsumerexperiences.therule.Why?It’sahigh-ticketitemthatmostpeoplerepurchasecategory,andthereisthequestionoftrade-ins.IntheU.S.particularly,lawshavemadeitdifficultforcarcompaniestoselldirecttoconsumers.Butthoseobstaclesarebeginningtocrumble.Thepandemichasacceleratedtheneedfortouchlessexperiences,openingthedoorforaD2Cchannelforautomakers.Automotiveretailischangingwithunprecedentedspeedandmagnitude,drivenbyshiftingcustomerexpectations,newmobilityofferings,andtechnologicaldisruptionslikedigitization,vehicleconnectivityandelectrification.ThedealersevenrecognizethattheirgriponthesaleofnewvehiclesInthispaper,weassessthedriverchangeandexploresolutionsthatcanhelpgetautomotivebrandspreparedforecommerce米Direct米Directtoconsumersalesinautomotive4AutomotiveconsumerswantadifferentretailexperienceConsumershavelongembracedtheconvenience,transparencyandcontrolthatecommerceprovides.Youngerpeople,whohavegrownupwithdigitalastheprimarywayofdiscovering,exploring,engagingandconsuming,haveespeciallystrongexpectationsfrombrandsandarenowbecomingthemajorityoffuturecarbuyers.Oldergenerationsarechangipurchasingonline,resettingtheirautopurchasingexpectations.Becauseoftheseshifts,consumerpreferencehasincreasedforbrandsthatdeliveragreaterlevelofdigitallyenabledconveniencesinadditiontoproductandstatus.米Directtoconsumersalesinautomotive5“Morethanhalfofconsumersprefertopurchasedirectlyfrombrands.TheriseofD2C:whatthemodernshopperreaDirecttoconsumersalesinautomotive6ConsumerpreferenceshavegivenrisetoD2CbrandsacrossallindustriesNewstartupentrants,especiallypure-playEVbrands,arecapitalizingonthemargingainsthatD2Cbusinessmodelsprovide.Ratherthanrelyingonthetraditionalretailandresellermodels,thesebrandsarecuttingoutmiddlemen,focusingondevelopingasimple,end-to-endexperiencefortheircustomers,andwithgreateffect.Recentresearchshowsthatoverhalfofconsumers(55%)prefertopurchaseautomotive,Teslaisatestamenttothistrend,andothernewentrantbrandslikePolestarandRivianarefollowingsuit.Aselectriccarsbecomeapreferredalternativetotraditionalgas-poweredcars,newerD2Cpurchasingmethodswilwelcomedaswell.Whilethestartupshavesometimesstruggledsuppliesandservice,customerslovethewaytheywereabletopurchaseandservicetheirvehicleandarevocalaboutit.toeMarketer.2008060402002019202020212022*2023*Note(s):UnitedStatesDirecttoconsumersalesinautomotive7CarbrandsarestartingtoprovidebetterexperiencesLegacycarbrandshavebeenimprovingthecarbuyingexperiencewith“buildyourown”configuratorsandinventorystockfinders,butthehand-offtothedealershipsbecomesapainpointwhenthatinventoryisinaccurate,orthebuildplanisnotpossibleorthepricechanges.Additionalenhancementsputinplaceduringlockdown,likeremotetestdrivesandcontact-freevehicledelivery,havefurtherimprovedcustomerexperience.Yet,lackofpricetransparency,controlovertheprocess,anddisjointedexperiencesbetweenallthepartiesinvolvedhaveconsumersstillasking—isn’tthereabetterway?Giventhesepersistentissues,automotivedigitalexperiencescontinuetoscorelowerthananyotherindustriesforcustomersatisfaction.Itcomesasnosurprisethenthatinrecentyearspremiumcarbrandshavetakenstrongpositionsonowningtheentireonlinecommerceexperience.SomehavealreadyemployedD2Cfortheirelectricvehiclelinewhileothersarerollingitoutforotherpartsoftheirbusiness,likebrandedproducts.Evenmainstreambrandbeingthefuturefortheindustry.8765432106.226.006.625.866.556.255.976.425.87RetailFinancialServiceRestaurantsTravelHealthcareAutomotiveNon-ProfitEnergyTechTelecommsRetailFinancialServiceRestaurantsPublishingSource:MedalliaStudy-DigitalExperience&Conversion:IndustryBenchmarksfor20212米Directtoconsumersalesinautomotive8ThemovetoD2CinautomotivedoesnotmeanabandonmentofretailArecentstudybyEYfoundthatmorethan50%ofcarbuyerswanttophysicallyexperiencetheproductbeforepurchaseandtohaveaccesstoknowledgeableresources2.However,thesephysicalexperiencesneedtobereimaginedwithmorefocusonaddressingcustomerdigitally-enabledretailexperienceearlyinthejourneywhenresearchingvehicles,takingtheexperienceofflinewhentestdriving,andthenwhencompletingthepurchasechoosingtohavetheabilitytopickwhichmethod(physicalordigital)presentstheleastamountofhassle.Assuch,originalequipmentmanufacturersonlinecommerce,witarenowmakingdecisionsaboutfurtheroutletconsolidation,leanerretailformats,directcustomeraccess,andalternativesalesmodels.WatchtheVideoWatchtheVideoMorethan50%ofcarbuyerswanttophysicallyexperiencetheproductbeforepurchaseandtohaveaccesstoknowledgeableresourcesaccordingtoastudybyEDirecttoconsumersalesinautomotive9EVandnewownershipmodelswillchangedealerships’primaryrevenuestreamsTraditionally,dealershipsmakeabout50%oftheirgrossmarginfrompostpurchaseengagementswithcustomersandabout10%fromnewvehiclesales.McKinsey’sGlobalAfterMarketModelteamforecastsa40%reductioninaftermarketpartspendsofTheaftermarketforproductsandservicesisverycompetitiveandfilledwithindependentthird-partyplayers.Themarketissetforsolid20%compoundannualgrowthrateovertherestofpartsthroughasmanychannelsaspossibletomaximizemarketoptionsbecomeanotherpossibilityforadditionaldirectrevenueandcontinuedrelationshipswithcustomers.MarketplaceslikeAmazonarealsopowerfultoolstoeffectivelyconsolidatemarketingspendanddecreaseeffort.Finally,retailstaffing,includingservicetechnicianskills,willneedtomatchthenewproducttechnologiesandchangingconsumerdrivinghabitsthatcomewithEVs.Whilethetransitionwillbegradual,withICEvehiclesmakingupmostservicesaleswbeyond2030,thechangesarecomingandbeingpreparedisimportant.Themarketissetforsolid20%compoundannualgrowthrateovertherestofthedecadeaccordingtoastudybyMarketResearchFuture.94094040%64056572040%640565720*Includesroutinereplacementpartssuchasbatteries,accessories,andcollisioncosts.Source:McKinseyGlobalAftermarketModelTeam米DirecttoconsumersalesinautomotiveTheevolutionofownershipmodelsWhetheritbesubscriptionmodels,carsharingsolutions,orothernewwaysofridership,carbrandswilleitherdrivethesedirectlyorpartnerwithselectentitiestomanageaunifiedexperience.Eitherway,thedealershiproleintheseprogramswillbediminished.OEMswillneedtobuildouttheirowncapabilitiestoconducttransactionsdirectlywiththecustomerorbuilddeepdigitalintegrationswithselectpartners.PartnershipandintegrationbecomesparamountOEMsanddealershipsneedtothinkthroughwhattheirfuturerelationshipslooklike.WhowiHowcanwetightenalignmentandintegration?Digitalreadinessonbothsidesrequiresprocessalignmentanddeeperintegrationsofbusinessfunctions.Isthereanopportunitytogivetheconsumerwhattheyseek?Atrulyunifiedandeasyexperience?Canthebrandandretailerscontinuetoplaytheirrespectiverolesinthejourney?Whatwillcollaborationbetweenthetwopartieslooklike?Currentstructuresmustevolve,andnewonesmustbedevelopedtogethertoincludethepropermixofbothdigitalandphysicaltouchpoints.AsseenintheexampleonthenextpagedonebyValtechforBMW,everytouchpointmustbeconsidered.米DirecttoconsumersalesinautomotiveAsconnectivityofvehicleshaswanttobuildloyaltytotheirbrandsbyprovidingincreasedvalueduringtheirdrivetimes.CompanieslikeAmazon,alsowanttotheirengagementthroughtheconnectedcarbypartneringwithOEMs.Fromparkingandtollcoststochargingfees,therearemanycommercialtransactionsthatvehiclesautomaticallyfacilitateforthedriver.Withconsumersspendingseveralhoursperweekdriving,activelyorpoftimethatcouldbeusedforcommerce.Thisidearequirescarmanufacturerstobuildoutcommercecapabilitiesthatcanliveoutsideandinsidethevehicle.Theaverageconsumerspendsmanyhoursperweekdriving,providingagreatopportunitytotiecommercewithdrivetime.米DirecttoconsumersalesinautomotiveMarketvariancesandimpactsfromregionalregulationsThepathtoD2CforOEMswillbetrickydawidesetofmarket-specificregulations.consumerprivacylawsneedtobecarefullyassessedandwillplayacriticalpartinmappingoutthepathtocarmakers’futureapproachtocommerce.Teslahwithestablishednetworks,makingcommerceworkwillrequiremorefforexample,hasonly22statesthatpermitsomeformofdirectsales,makingitdifficultforcarmakerstomakethechangeacrossallstates4.Regulatorsinmanymarketscurrentlawsandarelookingatlawsthramoregloballyconneonthevarietyofmarketplaces,lawconsiderations,itmakessensetobuildoutcommercesolutionswithawidesetofapproachesthatenablecustomerstomoveeasilybetweenonlineandoffline.“CarmanufacturersdealwithstrongerbarrierstochangenetworkstructuresinU.S.thantheforecastperiod米Directtoconsumersalesinautomotive13Apathtoonlinesalesgoingawaysoon,soitisimportanttoexploresolutionsthatallowforinclusionsofdealershipsinthecar-buyingprocesswhileprovidingthedesiredcontroloverallrelevantdataandthecustomerexperiencelayersneededforafullDirecttoconsumersalesinautomotive14Defineleanerstoreformatstoreduceretailcostsfunctionalteamandcooperatingwithdealerstoidentifywaystoreduceretailcoststhroughdigitallycentersandcitystores)waytocomplementtraditionaldealerships.Enhancingtheintegrationbetweenofflineconnectedomnichanneljourneyisanotherwaytoreducecosts.Offlinevehicleexperienceandorderingshouldbedirectlylinkedtoonedigitalbackbonethatcreatesefficienciesandallowsforamorepecustomerinteraction.OEMsdrivingcompetitionandpartneringwithselectedthirdpartiesThird-partyrepairshopThird-partyrepairshop?Purchase?Test-drive?Delivery?Test?Test-drive?DeliveryPurchase?DeliveryPurchase?AftersalesOtherserviceproviders(carsharing)Otherserviceproviders(carsharing)OnlinesalesOfflinesales?Test-drive?Delivery?Purchase?Test-drive?Delivery?AftersalesSource:McKinseyAutomotive:Afuturebeyondbrickandmortar—disruptivechangeaheadinautomotiveretailDirecttoconsumersalesinautomotive155StepstocreatingapathtofullD2C2Traditionalloyaltyhaseroded,makingeveryinteractionwithacustomeramust-winbattle.Themoreyouknowaboutyourcustomer,themoreeffectiveyoureffortscanbe.Determineyouraccesstosolidcustomerdataandwhatdatashouldbefurtherenhanced.Basedontheanalysis,createcustomerrequirementsandprioritiesforyoursolutionandaclearanddistinctcustomerfirstvisionforyourD2Cexperience.DevelopadataarchitecturethatensurescompliancewithprivacylawswhileprovidingnecessarydataaccesstohelpBUssucceedintheirinteractionswithcustomers.Employanapproachthatkeepsaclearviewofthefuturevisionwhileallowingforpresentneeds.Investigatedirectandonlinesalesmodels.Onlinesalestouchesmostbusinessunitswithinautomotiveandrequireseveryone’sparticipation.Looktounlocknewbusinessmodels,suchasautomatedmaintenanceprogramsandsubscriptionservices,andotherwaystoprovidegreaterconvenienceforcustomers.Createclearrolesandresponsibilitiesforallpartiesinvolvedintheprocessandassignownershipfortechnologyanddatasolutions.Mapoutanend-goalroadmapwithintermittentmilestonesthatenablegradualintroductionofcommercecapabilitieswithoutnegativelyimpactingthebusiness.Directtoconsumersalesinautomotive163Auditexistingdigitalsolutionsand3(Marketingefforts,productpresentations,shoppingandservicetools,CRM,paymentsolutions,etc.)aswellasthewidertechnologyanddatasetavailablewithintheorganization(i.e.customercare,serviceandallother.Mapoutthecurrentdigitalandphysicalexperiencesinplaceandtheunderlyingtechnologyanddatasolutions.Determinewhatchangesareneededbasedonfuturecustomerneeds.Thiswillallowmarketstoadaptthelocalofferingstospecificmarketneedsandletstheplatformevolveovertime.Identifykeycomponentstodeliveranomni-channelexperience.Assesswhichchangescanbeachievedwithinthecurrentsolutionandwherenewsolutionsneedtobeimplemented.Deployanintegrated,yetcomposabletechnologyinfrastructurethatunderpinsalldigitalcustomerinitiativesspanningdigitalassetmanagement,digitalexperienceplatforms,socialplatforms,customerandrelationshipmanagement.Directtoconsumersalesinautomotive55ThereareafewcoreorganizationalfactorsthatwillmakeorbreakaD2CsOrganizationalcommitmenttoD2C:fromexecutiveleveldownthroughtheentireorganization,includingtheindependentretailbody.Ensureinvestmentsandresourceneedsareunderstoodandfullycommittedto.Consistentlyandpersistentlybuildagainstyourarticulatedcustomerexperiencevision.Developandbuildacustomerlifetime-focusedexperiencethatdrivesloyalty,repeatbusinessandcontinuedengagementthroughsubscriptionsandnewproductandserviceofferings.Increaseyourdigitaltalentpool.RetrainandenhancedigitalcapabilitiesofexistingstaffandhirenewtalenttoensureallD2Cspecificrolesareadequatelystaffed.Manageandresolvetheinternaltensionsthatwillarisebetweenthetraditionalretailteams,partnersandD2Cteams.米Directtoconsumersalesinautomotive18PoweringthemobilityrevolutionValtechisinauniqueposiautomotivecompaniestocompeteandthrive.majorautomotivebrandsaswellasstart-ups.Wesupplyinnovativesolutionsthatarethoughtoutandcanbeoperatedintuitively.Withouruser-focuseddesignandimplementationmethodology,we’rehelpingthefutureoftheconnectedvehicleandtheautomotivecustomerexperience.WhenVolkswagenneededtogetthewordoutabouttheirupcomingselectionofEVs,ValtechwastherefulfillingourroleastheVWGroups’strategicpartnerandhelpingthemtobuildtheElectricDrivinghub.TrepositoryofknowleButmoreimportantly,ithelpscustomerstogetalltheinformationneededtomaketheswitchtoelectricandstarttheprocessofbuyingtheirfirstEV.WhenToyotawaslookingtotestoutwhetherbuyingacaronlinewassomethingtheircustomerswouldbeinterestedin,theypartneredwithValtechtobuildaplatformthatwouldfacilitatethat.ThequestionnowiswhatcanValtechdoforyou?Thefirststepiscontactingusandstartingaconversation.Contactustodaytose