Mobilitysales:

Afuture-proofsalesmodel

Cross-industryresearchsuggeststhatmobilityhasmuchtolearnfromothersectors

TableofContents

Thedirectsalesdilemma3

Abouttheresearch4

Theindustries6

Mobility7

Consumergoods8

Heavymachinery9

Telecommunications10

Insurance11

Risingcustomerexpectations12

Findingawayforwardformobilityplayers14

1.Aseamless,omnichannelcustomerexperienceisnowabaselinerequirement14

2.B2CandB2Bexpectationsareconverging16

3.Digitalmarketplacesareincreasinglypopularandrequireastrategicresponse18

4.Pricingshouldbeclear,systematic,andconsistent20

5.Directsalesalignmostcloselywithcustomerexpectations—22

andgivecompaniesmorecontrol

Howmobilityplayerscangetstarted24

Inconclusion26

Mobilitysales:Afuture-proofsalesmodel3

Thedirectsalesdilemma

It’snosecretthat24/7digitalconnectivityandtherevolutionincustomerexpectationsithasunleashedaredrivingmobilitybusinessestowarddirectsales.

Fivebestpracticesto

future-proofmobility

salesmodels

1.Aseamless,omnichannelbuyingexperienceisnowabaselinecustomerexpectation

2.B2CandB2Bexpectationsareconverging

3.Digitalmarketplacesareincreasinglypopularwithcustomersandrequireastrategicresponse

4.Pricingshouldbeclear,systematic,andconsistent

5.Directsalesnotonlyalignmostcloselywithcustomerexpectations—theyalsogivecompaniesmorecontrol

Manycarmakershavelaunchedonlinestoresand

takenstepstopersonalizetheirofferings.Someare

evenpilotinginnovativedigitalsalesformats.Afew

arealreadysellingdirectlyonlinetotheendconsumer.

Volkswagen,forexample,isrollingoutanewIT

infrastructurethatwouldfacilitateonlinesalesat

scale.WhilecarmakersincludingFord,Mitsubishi

Motors,andHyundaiinEurope,havepartnered

withsales-as-a-serviceprovidersandselectdealer

groups,toopensmall,digitallyenabledshowrooms

inpopularshoppingareasthatareseamlessly

integratedwithonlinestoresandviceversa.1

Yetthemobilityindustryoverallisstillchallenged

tomakedirectsaleswork.Thetransformationentails

significantfinancialandmarketrisk:heftyupfront

investmentandhighannualoperatingcosts.That’s

atallorderformanyplayers,despitewidespread

recognitionoftheurgentneedforatrulyconsumer-

centricsalesmodel,robustenoughforthedigitalage.

Theexperiencesofsimilarlydisruptedindustriesoffer

somevaluablelessons.Recentresearchacrossfive

industrysectors—mobility,consumergoods,heavy

machinery,telecommunications,andinsurance—has

identifiedfivebestpracticesthatcanhelpmobility

playersovercomethedirectsalesdilemmaand

successfullyfuture-prooftheirsalesmodels.

4

Salespeople

UK

Germany

France

Insurance

Heavymachinery

Telecommunication

Abouttheresearch

Wesurveyedover1,000B2CandB2Bcustomersaswellasmorethan750salespeoplefromtheUK,Germany,andFrance.Wealsotalkedtotopexecutivesofestablishedmanufacturersandserviceproviderstoaugmentourfindings.

Ourresearchcombinedtheperspectivesof:

B2Ccustomers

1,000+customerswhorecentlypurchasedaproductorserviceforpersonalusefromoneoftheselectedindustries.Thesampleprovidesawell-spreaddistributionacrossage,gender,income,andothermetricstoaccountforpotentialdifferencesinneedsandpreferences.

750+salespeoplewereaskedabouttheirunderstandingofcustomerneeds,howtheyrespondtothem,andhowwelltheythinktheircurrentsalesapproachispreparingthemforthefuture.Oursampleprovidesarepresentativesplitacrossthedifferentindustriesinscope.

B2Bcustomers

300+customerswhorecentlyboughtaproduct

orserviceforbusinesspurposes,coveringbusiness

customersaswellaspurchasingmanagers.

Figure1:Overviewofconsumer,businesscustomerandsalespeoplesurveysample

Consumergoods

Fashion

Consumer

durables

Mobility

Recreational

vehicles

Motorcycles

Passengercars

Consumersandbusinesscustomers

Salespeople

Customertype

Residence

B2Ccustomers77%

Urban

52%

B2Bcustomers23%

Suburban

24%

Customergroup

Salesmodel

MainlyinB2Csector37%

Currentlyinindirectsalesmodel

70%

BothB2BandB2C33%

Currentlyindirectsalesmodel

30%

MainlyinB2Bsector30%

24%

Rural

Mobilitysales:Afuture-proofsalesmodel5

TimoResch

VPCustomerBrandSales

BMWM

SandyScullion

President

PowersportsGroupatBRP

TobiasSeemann

SVPCommercialEurope

AdidasAG

AnjaStolz

CMO/OmnichannelManagementR+VVersicherung,

MemberoftheExecutiveBoard

R+VDirektversicherung

Executivesandexperts

Seniorexecutivesofestablishedmanufacturersandprovidersaugmentourfindings.

Figure2:Industryexecutivesandexpertsinterviewedforthisstudy

Dr.MarcGüntermann

SeniorDirector

Sales&AfterSalesStrategy

AudiAG

MarcelKeller

MemberoftheExecutiveBoard

VorwerkInternational&Co.KmG

Dr.ChristineKnackfuss-Nikolic

SVPDigitalBusiness&Transformation

DeutscheTelekomAG

Barbara-MariaLoth

GlobalHeadofCommercial

Excellence/ManagingDirector

KnaufDigitalGmbH

AntonioNigro

SVP–HeadofCommercial&

RegionalLeadEMEA

FossilGroupEuropeGmbH

6

Theindustries

Inadditiontomobility,weexaminedfourotherindustries—consumergoods,heavymachinery,telecommunications,andinsurance—pickedbecausetheirsalesstrategiesarealsodisruptedbyrapidlychangingconsumerandmarketdemandsand/orbecausethey,too,havemademovestowarddirectsales.

Mobility

Wefocusedonthreeindustrysegmentsatdifferentpointsinthetransformationfrompurevehiclemanufacturingtotheprovisionofbroaderservice“bundles”:passengercarmakers,motorcyclemanufacturers,andrecreationalvehiclemakers(quadbikes,waterscooters,etc.).WhileallthreesegmentshaveaclearB2Cfocus,onlypassengercarmakershaveasignificantB2Bcomponent.

Acrossthecompaniessurveyed,indirectmodelsdominatesalesstrategies.Lessthan20%ofsalesarecurrentlymadethroughdirectchannels.

Mobilitycustomersaremovingonline,but36%aredissatisfiedwithcurrentonlinebuyingoptions—morethaninotherindustries.Asmanyasoneinthreecustomerswasdissatisfiedwiththeexperienceoftheirlatestpurchaseofarecreationalvehicle.Forpassengercarsandmotorcycles,oneinfour.Mobilitycustomersalsowantbetterpersonalizedoffersandmorereliabledelivery.

36%ofmobilitycustomersare

dissatisfiedwithcurrentonline

buyingoptions.

SandyScullion

President

PowersportsGroupatBRP

Fueledbycustomerexpectationsand

thedynamicsofdigitalization,weseean

opportunitytoevolveoursalesmodelfocus

andsupportournetworkofdealersand

distributorstoshifttowardconsultative

sellingandservicing.Deepeningourpost-

salesserviceofferingwillprovideBRPand

ourretailnetworkwithacompetitive

advantageandpropelusfurther.

Mobilitysales:Afuture-proofsalesmodel7

8

Consumergoods

Consumergoodscustomersinboththeapparelandconsumerdurablessub-sectorsappreciatetherangeofgoodstheycanfindonline—considerablymorethantheindustryaverage.Whensearchingforproductinformation,oneineverytwocustomersgoesstraighttoawebsite.Justoneinfourvisitastore.Inbothsub-sectors,around75%ofsalesareviaindirectmodelsand25%viadirectmodels.Ofthosecompaniesalreadyusingdirectsales,two-thirdssaytheircurrentsalesapproachworkswellinmeetingcustomerexpectations.Salespeoplealsorecognizetheadvantagesthatdirectsalesbringintailoringproductassortmentsandprotectingprofitabilityinalow-marginbusiness.

Twooutofthreesalespeoplethatuseadirectsalesmodelsaytheircurrentsalesapproachworkswellinmeetingcustomerexpectations.

TobiasSeemann

SVPCommercialEurope

AdidasAG

Dataisthenewcurrencyforsuccess.Yetfewtrulyfocusonusingittosolvekeyconsumerusecasesandmostmissoutonthepersonalizationopportunity.It’sallaboutcollectingandleveragingdatatocreatevaluefortheconsumer.Direct-to-consumerispivotaltoleveragingdataforgrowth.Buildingabridgetoincludewholesalepartnersasan

consumersistrulymasteringit.

integralpartofanecosystemtowinwith

Heavymachinery

ThisindustryconsistsprimarilyoflargeplayersthatsellalmostentirelyinaB2Bcontext.Itscustomersaremovingtowardsonlinechannels,butsalesviaonlinechannelsarerelativelyrare.

Evenforinitialproductresearch,theuseofdigitalisbelowthecross-industryaverage.LessthanhalfofB2Bcustomerssurveyedusedigitalchannelstocollectdetailedproductinformation.

Thecomplexnatureofheavymachinery,coupledwiththeneedfordetailedin-personexplanationsandguidanceattheofflinepointofsale,helpexplainwhythesectorlags.However,salespeoplecitealackofcustomerdatainsightsastheprincipaldisadvantageofanindirectsalesapproach.

45%ofheavymachineryB2B

customersuseonlinechannels

tocollectdetailedproduct

information.

Mobilitysales:Afuture-proofsalesmodel9

10

Telecommunications

Halfofalltelecommunicationscustomerssurveyedweresatisfiedwiththeirlastpurchaseprocess.Theyarealsotypicallymorecomfortableshoppingonlinethancustomersinotherindustries.Twoineverythreeconsumersalesarenowclosedonline(althoughthisdropstolessthanoneinthreeforB2Bsales).

Mostcompaniesusethedirectsalesapproach,eitherasapuredirect-to-consumermodelorbyincentivizingbrokersandmarketplacestopassoverprospectsforclosingasale.

Salesteamsarealsomuchmorelikelytosayonlinechannelsaretheirprimaryrevenuedrivers(46%versus16%foroffline).Asubstantialmajority(71%)saidsalesprocessesshouldbefurtherdigitalizedand61%saidmoresaleswouldshiftonline.

46%ofsalespeoplesayonlinechannelsaretheirprimaryrevenuedrivers.Still,71%seesubstantialroomtofurtherdigitalizesalesprocesses.

Insurance

While39%ofB2Cinsurancecustomersinoursurveywerehighlysatisfiedwiththeirlastpurchase,thisdropsto22%forB2Bbuyers.

TheB2Ccustomerjourneyinretailinsurancemarkets,especiallyregardingmass-marketproductslikemotorvehicleinsurance,aretypicallymoreadvancedonline.Forexample,three-quartersofcustomersuseonlinepricecomparisonplatforms.TheRoPo(researchonline,purchaseoffline)approachisstillwidespreadinmanymarkets,dependingonfactorslikeonlinesalesprocessmaturityandcustomerpreferences.

However,onlinesalesmakeupalowshareofB2Bsalesinmostmarketsandlinesofbusiness,ascustomersprimarilyclosedealsoffline.

Morehumantouchduringthesalesprocessis

neededforhigher-costproductswithlonger-term

commitmentsandfinancialimpact,suchasbuying

andinsuringfleetvehiclesforabusiness.

Lower-costproductsandservices,suchasrentingandinsuringacarforapersonaltrip,aremoreeasilydistributedindigitalchannels.Inconsumersegments,29%ofrevenuesaregeneratedinapurelyonlinecontext.

29%ofinsurancerevenuesare

generatedinapurelyonline

context.

Mobilitysales:Afuture-proofsalesmodel11

12

Risingcustomerexpectations

Thetransformativeeffectsofpervasivedigitalconnectivityarestillplayingoutworldwide.Butit’salreadyclearthatthetrendisdrivingmoreandmorecustomersonline—andsignificantlyraisingtheirexpectations.

Acrossallfiveindustriesweinvestigated,nearlyhalf(49%)ofcustomersnowshopprimarilyonline,versusfewerthanathird(30%)whostillshopprimarilyoffline.

Oursurveyalsoconfirmssomeofthekeyreasonswhyconsumersareflockingtodigitalchannels.Principally,theycitethetimesavings,around-the-clockavailability,andlowerpricesthataretypicallyofferedonline.

Mobilitysales:Afuture-proofsalesmodel13

68%

65%

64%

62%

60%

51%

50%

50%

48%

43%

36%

32%

36%

28%

33%

42%

24%

35%

19%

15%

21%

15%

61%

39%

Figure3:Onlinevs.offlinealongthecustomerjourney

Foreachofthefollowingstepsofyourpurchasejourney,didthesteptakeplaceprimarilyonlineoroffline?

Online

68%

13%

Collectprice

information

Signcontract

orpurchase

product

Collect

detailedinformation

Receive

offer

Gatherbasicinformation

Compare

productwith

otherbrands

Offline

B2CB2B

Theyalsomentiontheeasewithwhichtheycanconducttheirownproductresearchby,forexample,quicklycomparingdifferentproductssidebyside.

Evenso,acrossallfiveindustries,only39%ofbuyersweresatisfiedwiththeirlastpurchaseprocess.

49%ofconsumersnowprimarilyshoponline—just30%shopprimarilyoffline.

TimoResch

VPCustomerBrandSales

BMWM

Today’sclassicalsalesapproachisnotfuture-prooftomeettherequirementsforalong-termbeneficialrelationshipbetweenthecustomer,product,andbrand.Adigitalizedsalesplatformandthedirectinteractionwiththecustomerbecomesincreasingly

important.Thiswillbeessentialfora

successfulsalesstrategyofthefuture.

Figure4:Customersatisfactionwithspecificaspectsofthepurchaseprocess

Top3driversofdissatisfaction

Lackofsufficientproductinformation

Lackofadequateproductconsultation

Lackofonlinepurchaseoptions

CustomersCustomers

thatarehighlythatseeroom

satisfiedforimprovement

14

Findingawayforward

formobilityplayers

Ourcross-industryresearchreveals

fivebestpracticesthatmobility

playerscanleveragetotacklethe

twinchallengesofaccelerating

digitalizationandrisingcustomer

expectations.

1.Aseamless,omnichannelcustomerexperienceisnowabaselinerequirement

Whilesomecustomershavepivotedentirelytoonlinechannels,asignificantnumberstillpreferofflineshopping.Thelargestnumber,however,seethebenefitsofboth.

Mostcustomersclearlywantseamlesscontinuityacrossallphasesofthesalesjourney,includingaftersales.Theyexpectshoppingexperiencesofflinetobejustasengagingastheyareonline.Andtheyrequiretheabilitytoswitchchannelseasily,withoutthehasslesandheadachesthatstillhindertheshoppingjourneyinmanyindustries.

Theimplicationisclear.Businessesthatcanfacilitateatrulyengagingomnichannelexperiencecandrivesustainedgrowth.

AntonioNigro

SVP–HeadofCommercial&

RegionalLeadEMEA

FossilGroupEuropeGmbH

Withincreaseddigitalpenetration,

wehavetore-inventourphysicalstore

presencetocreateuniqueomnichannel

experiencesthat‘wow’ourconsumers.

Mobilitysales:Afuture-proofsalesmodel15

Savestime24/7availability

Lowprices

Easeof

comparison

Fastdelivery

Byharvestingdataacrossallcustomertouchpoints,theycangeneratedeeperinsightsandthusmorepersonalizedcontent—agrowingrequirementinallindustries—ascustomerconcernsaboutdatasharingdiminish.84%ofthoseinterviewedforourcross-industrystudyhadnoissuewithdatasharinginprinciple,thoughtheydotypicallyexpecteitheramonetarybenefitorsomeotherkindofrewardinreturn.

Mobilitybusinessesrecognizethattheircustomerswantbetteroptionsforbuyingonline.Infact,theyseebetteronlineoffersasoneofthehighest-potentialimprovementstheycouldmake,alongsideprovidingmorepersonalizedoffers.Butlaunchingonlinestoresormovingexistingsalesoperationsonline,whichmanymobilityplayershavealreadydone,areonlyfirststeps.

Rightnow,carmakersarethefront-runnersinrespondingtonewcustomerneeds,withmanyworkingonandsome(especiallygreenfieldplayers)alreadyprovidingsignificantlybetteronlineexperiences.

Consider,forexample,howeasyitistonavigateTesla’sonlinestore.Asmallrangeofcustomizationoptionshelpssimplifychoicesandcheck-outiscompletedinjusttwoclicks.Polestar’swebsite,similarly,seamlesslyintegratesonlinepurchasing,whilealsoprovidingalivespecialistchatfunctionandanengagingintroductoryvideostressingthesustainabilitymessagethatdefinesthebrand.

Barbara-MariaLoth

GlobalHeadofCommercial

Excellence/ManagingDirector

KnaufDigitalGmbH

Digitalizationpersedoesnotgenerate

newrevenuesforus.Onlynewproducts

andservicescandothat.Buttaking

advantageofthemeansofdigitalization

likeautomatingservicesorapplying

advancedanalyticswillenableusto

betterserveourcustomersonexisting

andnewtouchpointsandultimatelymore

efficientlysellexistingproducts.

Motorcyclemanufacturersarealsostartingtoprovidebetterexperiencesonline,suchasproductconfiguratorsthatcanbeforwardedtothenearestdealer.Therecreationalvehiclesegment,however,islagging.Here,mostmanufacturersstillprovidelittlemorethanproductinformationonline,despitecustomersactivelysearchingformore.

Benefitsofonlineandofflinechannelsasseenbycustomersacrossindustries

Benefitsofonlinechannels

40%

39%

35%

34%

31%

Benefitsofofflinechannels

52%

“Touchandfeel”

oppurtunity

34%

Contactpersonin

caseofanyissues

30%

Personalrelationship

27%

Betterconsultation

27%

Optiontobuysome-

thingontheway

16

436%

30%5

Availability

532%

815%

Aesthetics

2.B2CandB2Bexpectationsareconverging

Althoughcross-industryresearchrevealstheSomeofthebestpracticesinthatregardhave

persistenceofdifferencesbetweenB2BandB2Cbeendevelopedinsectorslikeconsumergoods,

buyingexperiences,especiallywhenitcomestothehalfofwhosecustomersalreadyvisitawebsitefor

customerjourneyondigitalchannels(see“Alackofproductinformation.

options?”,page17),italsoclearlyshowsthatB2B

customersincreasinglyexpectthesamepersonalized,Asdemandforonlinebuyinggrows,aclearshiftto

frictionlesssalesinteractionscommoninconsumercost-efficientdigitalchannelsshouldbeonevery

settings.mobilitycompany’sagenda.It’simportanttoremember,

though,thatonlinesalesstrategiesshouldnotbe

Wefoundthatthefundamentaldriversofapurchasedrivensolelybyprice—especiallywhenitcomesto

arelargelythesame,regardlessofwhethertheboostingsalesthroughnewcustomeroffers.

customerisbuyingfortheirpersonaluseorfortheir

business.Inallcases,price,quality,andperformanceThiswasacommonstrategyintelecommunications

arerankedhighest(althoughB2Ccustomersarebutisnowbeingrevised.Forinstance,AldiTalk,the

typicallymorepricesensitivethanbusinessbuyers).telecommunicationssubsidiaryofGermanretailgiant

Aldi,frequentlyoffersexistingcustomersthesame

Mobilitybusinesses,includingestablishedplayersfinancialbenefitsasnewcustomers.2

likeMercedes,BMW,Volvo,andStellantis,andEV-only

OEMslikeTeslaandPolestar,havelaunchedonline

initiativestargetingbothB2CandB2Bcustomers.

None,however,yetoffersafully-fledgedonlinesales

solutionthataddressesboth.

Figure6:MaindriversofB2CandB2Bcustomers’purchasedecisions

B2CcustomersB2Bcustomers

71%1

54%2

37%3

35%4

154%

244%

337%

631%

Performance

Quality

Brand

Price

Features

28%6

22%

17%7Servicepackages7

13%8

Mobilitysales:Afuture-proofsalesmodel17

Samsung,forexample,offersitsB2Bcustomersthesamekindofonlinejourneyasitsconsumers,includingaone-stoponlineshopsolution.Injustoneclick,businesscustomerscanbrowsethroughasimilaronlineofferingwiththepossibilitytoviewthepriceswithorwithoutthevalue-addedtax.Additionalrequirements(forbulkorders,forexample)canleverageacustomerservicecapability.B2Bcustomerscanalsosetuptheirownaccountsthroughwhichemployeescanaccesspersonalizedproductofferings,includingtailoredproductportfolios,prices,andcampaigns.It’safulldigitalsolution—evenframeworkagreementsforpriceconditionsaresigneddigitally.

Dr.ChristineKnackfuss-Nikolic

SVPDigitalBusiness&

Transformation

DeutscheTelekomAG

Asimpleandeasytounderstand

productportfolioisoneoftheessential

prerequisitesforasmoothdigital

(eSales&eService)customerjourney.

Furthermore,whenitcomestoproductdiscovery,two-thirdsofB2Ccustomerssaytheydon’tprimarilylookforspecificbrands,butratherforproductsandservicesthatbestmeettheirneeds.

ThispreferenceistrueforB2Bcustomersaswell,althoughinpracticemanybusinessbuyersarestillrestrictedbytheiremployers’procurementpoliciestoapredeterminedsetofpartnersorbrands.

Alackofoptions?

InbothB2CandB2Bcontexts,thepurchasejourneytypicallystartsonlinewiththecustomergatheringbasicproductinformationandthentendstoshifttowardsofflinechannelsasthesaleapproaches.InB2B,however,thisshiftismorepronounced.

Ourresearchshowsthatonlinesaleswouldcompriseupto30%oftotalB2Bcross-industrysalesthroughto2025.Typically,however,B2Bbuyersarelesslikelytouseonlinechannelsacrosstheboard,withmanypreferringthemforresearchingproductsratherthanclosingdeals.Ininsurance,forexample,whereB2Bcustomers’needscanbecomplex,especiallywhenitcomestoclaims,there’sastrongpreferenceforclosingdealsoffline.

Evenso,thisapparentpreferencemaysimplybetheresultofalackofdigitaloptionsinmanyB2Bareas.Insomeindustriesdigitalsaleschannelsarestillrelativelyrareorunavailable(evenforB2Ccustomersincaseslikemotorcyclesales).Inothers,onlineoffersandpromotionsaregearedtowardsB2C,meaningB2Bcustomersshouldresorttoofflinechannelstobenefit.EvenwheredigitalB2Bchannelsdoexist,theirimmaturityandlackoffunctionalitymeansmanybuyersareavoidingthem.

18

Competitorscanofferbetterprices/servicesGovernmentalregulationsincreaseourcost

Third-partyonlineplatforms/marketplaces

Otherpartiesmayenterthemarket?andtakeawayashareofmybusiness

Competitorsofferbetterquality

3.Digitalmarketplacesareincreasinglypopularandrequireastrategicresponse

Digitalmarketplaces—especiallyindustry-specificplayerslikeCarwowandpricecomparisonplatformslikeCheck24—poseagrowingchallengeformobilitycompanies’salesstrategies.

Forbuyers,andespeciallyyoungerbuyers,theseplatformsofferconvenient,transparent,user-friendly,andstreamlinedshoppingexperiences—henceourfindingthat35%ofcustomersacrossallindustriesstudiednowpurchaseviamarketplaces.

Sellerscanbenefittoo,ofcourse.Marketplaces,afterall,offerachancetoboostbrandexposure,audiencereach,andsalesvolumes.Buttheyalsoheightencustomerpricesensitivity.Andbecausetheytakeacommissiononeverysuppo