The Future of Car Shopping Arrives
Hyundai
on Amazon
When Covid changed in person, we adapted.
I led the creative direction and strategic vision for Hyundai's collaboration with Amazon, building a digital showroom that leveraged Amazon's massive reach and user-friendly interface. This innovative approach not only redefined how consumers explored and engaged with Hyundai vehicles online but also paved the way for an entirely new business unit at Amazon, focused on integrating automotive sales into the e-commerce landscape.
The details
Even before COVID disrupted the world of commerce, auto manufacturers (OEMs) were exploring full-funnel direct digital marketing to customers. But COVID accelerated that process. Hyundai, one of Amazon Ads’ most engaged OEMs, asked Brand Innovation Lab’s Automotive team to develop the first full-featured virtual showroom on Amazon, including real-time vehicle inventory lookup/display, which would drive leads directly from Amazon to Hyundai dealerships across the country.
There are at least nine different types of online tools available for customers to discover, evaluate, locate and plan for a vehicle purchase, with still others needed for financing estimates, trade-in valuation, and more. In 2019, auto shoppers visited an average of 4.2 sites (spending over 13 hours!) before visiting a dealer, with every one of these sites requiring PII (Personally Identifiable Information) before providing the most valuable component of their service: the price and availability of the vehicle of interest. It’s no wonder that only 4 out of 10 customers were satisfied with the current process.
My team spent over a year developing the framework to enable customers to view the Hyundai vehicle lineup, select a model, trim, and color. During the customization process, a novel 360-degree interactive viewport allowed customers to see their vehicle update as they made their selections. Meanwhile, in the background, vehicles matching those preferences were located, and displayed in real-time. As customers flip through the customized results, they can easily view details and features of each vehicle—but most importantly, its MSRP. A financial calculator enabled customers to estimate their potential costs, factoring in sales tax, trade-in value, and their selected financing options.
Finally, and only when they chose to, customers could contact dealers directly from Amazon, requesting more information or a test-drive of that exact vehicle.
