Case Study
How UST helped a vehicle manufacturer create a premium customer digital sales experience
In just four weeks, UST helped this manufacturer generate 25,000+ test-ride bookings for its new premium vehicle—thanks to an immersive sales campaign. The innovative, virtual campaign created an experiential environment where buyers could see, hear, and feel the power and beauty of the luxury vehicle.
THE CLIENT
This multinational vehicle manufacturer was founded decades ago in South Asia. With millions of happy customers, the company is a dominant player in its market and holds hundreds of patents for its innovative, sustainable products.
THE CHALLENGE
Creating a digital sales experience for premium vehicles
Building upon its deeply-entrenched, loyal customer base in the budget market segment, the company wanted to move into the premium market. After forming a partnership with another global vehicle manufacturer, the two companies collaborated to create a luxury vehicle.
The company’s marketing team wanted to create a virtual experience to make customers feel like they were stepping into a luxury automotive store where people could see, feel, and experience the power and beauty of the vehicle, whetting their appetite for the real thing and encouraging them to book a test-ride appointment. The company needed a technology partner with the digital expertise to design an enticing online experience to attract its aspirational, upwardly mobile target audience.
THE TRANSFORMATION
Delivering a virtual reality motorcycle experience to encourage test rides
To kick-off the project, UST’s design team visited the company’s regional dealerships to understand how customers interacted with sales teams, how the physical space reflected the brand, and where gaps in the sale process existed. They also learned that for up-market buyers, the sound of the engine is critical to the unique purchase experience. Armed with the knowledge that premium brand perceptions go beyond visuals, the designers benchmarked criteria to include sound, culture, and community, so they could create an experiential digital sales environment to attract potential buyers.
In just a month, UST helped bring the new product launch to life with an innovative, Adobe-based, immersive, 360-degree product visualization tool, reinforcing the company’s credentials in the luxury market segment to build anticipation and establish brand value. The enticing experience influenced buyers to rapidly move from initial interest to book a test ride with minimal friction, while reminding customers that the brand aligns with their values.
THE IMPACT
Generating 25,000+ test ride bookings in four weeks
The digital sales experience was so successful that potential buyers booked more than 25,000 test rides in the first four weeks of the product launch—without seeing the vehicle in person. Pre-orders exceeded the company’s sales goal and contributed to an increase in the previous year's vehicle sales, even during a typically quiet 32-day festive period from Navratri to Bhai Dooj.
On the heels of the successful digital sales experience, the company tapped UST to create similar digital sales experiences for two additional vehicles, generating 13,000 test rides in one month. As a result of this innovative, premium vehicle brand-building, the company transformed its business strategies to attract a more diverse, up-scale target market segment. The company's Head of Digital Customer Experiences and Marketing Technology said, "UST is one of our key strategic partners in digital customer experience."
RESOURCES
https://www.ust.com/productengineering
https://www.ust.com/en/manufacturing
https://www.ust.com/en/what-we-do/strategy-implementation-operations