Featured Insights
n the first article in this series, we argued that investing in the metaverse is a high-risk, high-reward opportunity. In this post, we focus on the downstream opportunities to win the attention of future car buyers – but caution that they don’t apply to every OEM.
The metaverse is not a single entity, but a network of open virtual worlds with immersive 3D graphics, where users can interact with each other. Each layer of its architecture and each individual world has widely varying specifications, from the network or computing platform it is based on, through the type of virtual world and the virtual tools and content that are available there, to its transactional infrastructure, human machine interface (HMI) and overall customer experience.
This variety coupled with the potential to freely determine own access, membership, and monetization rights creates a plethora of potential entry points and business models for automotive OEMs that want to stake a claim in the metaverse. (Exhibit 1)
Figure 1: Exemplary metaverse architecture by layer and business model
In the first blog in this series, we argued that investing in the metaverse is a high-risk, high-reward opportunity for carmakers. Sales and marketing – the subject of this post – illustrate the point. OEMs need to select the right approach for their business model to avoid the potential hazards. In some cases, they may even decide that the metaverse has nothing to offer their target customers or that the risks are too great to justify any downstream investment.
Existing approaches by carmakers to leveraging the metaverse range from transposing physical sales experiences to virtual worlds to augmenting physical sales channels with metaverse-derived elements and technologies. Many OEMs and even Tier 1 suppliers have already introduced metaverse features in marketing and sales to enable customers to experience a car in an immersive way without leaving their own home, for example, via gaming platforms. Some OEMs such as Honda even allow customers to purchase a car via the metaverse, and Hyundai and others are likely to follow soon.
We see three distinct segments emerging as more carmakers include metaverse elements and technologies in their marketing and sales activities.
More segments may emerge as metaverse technologies advance, creating further downstream opportunities for OEMs to explore. For example, Honda has demonstrated that digital non-fungible tokens (NFTs) make it feasible to introduce exclusiveness into the virtual world by marketing and selling digital “limited editions” of vehicles. When a virtual car buyer purchases one of Honda’s NFTs, they acquire a unique token on the blockchain ledger that proves they uniquely own the digital asset. In March of this year, Honda’s Acura brand began offering NFTs to the first 500 people to pre-order its 2023 Integra model, which is being marketed using metaverse tools and technologies. (Figure 2)
Figure 2: Carmakers and suppliers’ metaverse activities
The sheer variety of existing downstream approaches to using the metaverse shows that the automotive industry is just at the beginning of a journey. Even Facebook’s parent company, Meta, does not expect the metaverse to realise its full potential for another ten years. With this in mind, we believe that OEMs should adopt the following medium-to-long term metaverse marketing and sales strategies, depending on their business model and target customers:
Around the world, automobile customers display widely differing levels of digital literacy. OEMs therefore need to find a tailored approach when using the metaverse in sales and marketing, depending on which customer segments and specific customer behaviors they are trying to target. In this context, it is important to bear in mind that the metaverse will not be suitable for every OEM or a necessity for all brands. Every carmaker should start their metaverse journey by first answering the question: is this really for us?
Over the next decade, the metaverse’s expected evolution will influence the downstream strategies of OEMs – in particular, how virtual cultures develop and worlds are regulated in different countries and regions. For example, it is already evident that regional variations in data protection regulation will have a critical bearing on future models for virtual worlds. It is even conceivable that the dominant model will be a replica of the real world that exists in one or several virtual worlds, with the same spatial and temporal dimensions. In this virtual replica, OEMs will compete for prime retail locations and stores that sell at the same price per square meter as in the real world.
What will not change, however, is the sheer range and diversity of automobile customer preferences and priorities around the world (Figure 3).
Figure 3: No one-size-fits-all – Car buyers in the metaverse are the same as in real life
Berylls Digital Ventures (BDV) has identified five factors which characterize successful downstream strategies in the metaverse. OEMs should:
The surest route to failure is a one-size-fits-all approach, given the complexity and variety of metaverse applications that are already available to marketing and sales teams. OEMs need to understand where their customers are going and which metaverse activities by which start-ups are the most relevant before venturing into this space. As in the real world, so in the metaverse – the customer always comes first.
Dr. Jan Burgard (1973) is CEO of Berylls Group, an international group of companies providing professional services to the automotive industry.
His responsibilities include accelerating the transformation of luxury and premium OEMs, with a particular focus on digitalization, big data, connectivity and artificial intelligence. Dr. Jan Burgard is also responsible for the implementation of digital products at Berylls and is a proven expert for the Chinese market.
Dr. Jan Burgard started his career at the investment bank MAN GROUP in New York. He developed a passion for the automotive industry during stopovers at an American consultancy and as manager at a German premium manufacturer.
In October 2011, he became a founding partners of Berylls Strategy Advisors. The top management consultancy was the origin of today’s Group and continues to be the professional nucleus of the Group.
After studying business administration and economics, he earned his doctorate with a thesis on virtual product development in the automotive industry.
Featured Insights
he global truck players Daimler, Traton, Paccar and Volvo are regularly monitored by Berylls commercial vehicle expert Steffen Stumpp.
Here are his major findings for Q1 2022:
Can’t wait to read more? Download the Insight now!
Steffen Stumpp (1970) joined the Berylls Group in October 2020 as Head of Business Unit Commercial Vehicles. At this point, he already looked back on extensive professional and leadership experience in the commercial vehicle industry. Stumpp started his career in an OEM and went through different roles in research, marketing, product planning and after-sales service. When he switched to the automotive supplier industry, he took over the responsibility for worldwide sales and marketing of a medium-sized tier 1 supplier. After another step as head of sales he decided to join Berylls, where he is now responsible for the commercial vehicle business.
Stumpp is a graduate engineer and has studied industrial engineering at the KIT in Karlsruhe and the Technical University of Berlin with focus on logistics.
Featured Insights
ive “moments of truth” are essential to deliver the seamless experience customers demand
Across Europe, auto manufacturers, start-ups, established rental agencies and dealers are rolling out car subscription offers to keep pace with rapidly growing customer demand. Berylls estimates that total annual new subscription contracts will soar from between 210,000 and 230,000 in 2022 to as many as 4 million by 2030. Many of these potential new subscribers currently do not own a car. In January 2022, Berylls’ Vehicle-as-a-Service (VaaS) survey of 2,040 German consumers found that 13 percent of today’s non-car users would be interested in VaaS, adding 1.3 million people to the market.
On average, current subscription customers are between seven and eight years younger than car buyers, and their wish to own a car is being replaced by a desire for convenience and flexibility. Increasingly, these consumers are demanding a highly digital product offering and the kind of customer experience they have come to expect from the likes of Amazon, Zalando and Netflix.
Car subscription ticks all the critical boxes from their point of view. Vehicles are often available straightaway from an existing fleet, within minutes of ordering online. This is a welcome contrast to purchased cars, which can take as long as a year to be delivered because of chip shortages and other supply-chain issues. Typically, it’s a short-term commitment, where instead of being locked into a multi-year credit or leasing contract, customers can opt for a minimum period of as little as one month.
Not surprisingly, Europe’s subscription market is becoming increasingly crowded, with carmakers such as Volvo and VW competing with rental agencies and a growing range of innovative start-ups.
What these different players and subscription models have in common is a shared challenge. To win in this market, you have to differentiate by delivering a stellar, fully-digitalized customer experience as well as having the right vehicle offering and monthly rate.
We have identified five customer “moments of truth” which together deliver the kind of experience that people expect when they take out a subscription. The common theme connecting these moments is digitalization, in a market where customers assume they can select and pay for a vehicle entirely online with no need to phone a dealer or see the car.
Simply providing a standard online service won’t be enough to differentiate your offer from the competition. The winners in this race will be those companies which build the right digitalized features into their subscription platform – and build them well – to deliver a truly bespoke customer experience.
A clear strategic focus is essential for future champions in a subscription market that is becoming increasingly crowded. At present, too many entrants are in a gold-rush mood, pursuing an undifferentiated me-too approach for fear of missing out. Yet simply copying a relatively successful competitor’s subscription model won’t be enough to emerge as one of the winners. Our five moments of truth are critical for delivering the level of service that will give your subscription offer the edge, in a market where tomorrow’s champions will be fully digitalized and focused on delivering a superb customer experience.
Featured Insights
ecided to implement the agent model? What now?
In our recent publication „Dealer vs. Agent” we have concluded a draw (3:3) between the classic “Dealer Model” and the direct sales “Agency Model”.
Nevertheless, it appears the Agent’s following is growing, not least due to the need to keep track with the cost efficiency of new, direct selling entrants. A desire to reap the benefits of digitalization and to cater to the customers’ expectations when it comes to a premium sales and service experience are other factors.
Together with the evaluation of direct sales via agents as a new go-to-market model you must immediately ask “How can we make this transformation work?” To help we want to draw a potential path for a successful sales model transformation in this article.
Structure helps, so here is our three-step approach:
Direct sales can beat a dealer-based wholesale model on four dimensions – but you will have to pick your battles, not all of them can be at the same time:
Like for every successful journey, finding the best route comes right after setting the destination. Nobody can realistically switch over a decade-old global go-to-market structure in one go – identifying the right steps and the best way to scale up is a key success factor. And there are a number of building blocks for this roadmap:
Implementing any direct sales model inevitably leads to a shift of tasks from the former dealer to the OEM across the whole customer journey, as shown in Figure 1. OEMs have to take on new and complex tasks, such as pricing or inventory planning – with on the retail level have much higher frequency and granularity that what NSC and regional staff are used to from their matching wholesale tasks. Process performance and integration with the agents must be excellent from the switch-over date to achieve a seamless customer journey.
Financing and Digital Services remain largely unchanged, since they are widely in OEM hands already today. The Used Car Business will largely remain under control of the agents.
Of course, in addition to the tasks along the customer journey, there are also new or changed tasks for the OEM around agent steering, interaction management, data management, etc. which require careful setup before the switch-over – from the organisation design along the steering, process, and structural dimension to the design and creation of the supporting IT systems and not ending at recruiting and onboarding the additional staff.
It all starts with the objectives – it is crucial to make the transition for the right reasons. Ensure alignment across your whole organisation, once on the way it will be really difficult to shift priorities. Strictly guard your target hierarchy also in interim stages – an improved customer experience cannot be expected if different sales models have to co-exist under the same retail rooftop. Be more than aware of the additional tasks for the wholesale level – it will in essence also become your retail level. And expecting immediate cost reduction effects in a transition phase with increasing structural costs can only lead to disappointment.
Most importantly, keep putting yourself in your customers’ shoes: you need to deliver a customer experience where OEM and agent work hand in hand, where online and offline touch-points are well-connected. In an agent model it will always be the OEM that is in the driver seat, using the agents as extended arms into the local markets. This orchestration across the omnichannel system requires clear governance and effective steering since – unfortunately – objectives between agents and OEMs are not always aligned.
Keep all this in mind when you are designing the details of your future agent system – it is not just a new dealer contract you are about to implement.
Arthur Kipferler (1963) started his career in 1989 at the Boston Consulting Group, where he consulted for 13 years in the automotive industry. After consulting, Arthur Kipferler held senior management positions at Toyota in Europe and the U.S. From 2013 to 2014, he was global head of the BMW Group’s Future Retail program. Subsequently, he had leading roles in strategy, corporate planning and transformation management at Jaguar Land Rover in Coventry, UK. Arthur Kipferler complements the expertise of the Berylls partner team in the fields of market & customer, technologies, sales, and digitalization, as well as in the development and implementation of corporate, product, and regional strategies.
Mechanical engineering, production engineering, at the Technical University of Munich (TUM); MBA in Strategy, Marketing and Organizational Behavior at INSEAD Business School, France.
Featured Insights
ew things shape modern life as much as individual mobility. Be it as an expression of freedom and individuality, or as an economic driver.
To reflect this, we have developed the Solactive Berylls LeanVal Automobility Leaders 100 Index – the AUTO100. It tracks the performance of the 100 most relevant publicly listed automobility players worldwide. By design, the AUTO100 covers the industry’s entire value chain – from vehicle manufacturers and
suppliers, to dealer groups, and providers of mobility services or infrastructure.
Currently there are several major effects impacting the global capital markets. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the global markets are seeing major ripple effects across industries. Recent gas cut-offs in Eastern Europe could signal future shortages in other nations, leading to a persistent increase in prices as countries attempt to distance themselves from Russia.
Can’t wait to read more? Download the Insight now!
Dr. Jan Burgard (1973) is CEO of Berylls Group, an international group of companies providing professional services to the automotive industry.
His responsibilities include accelerating the transformation of luxury and premium OEMs, with a particular focus on digitalization, big data, connectivity and artificial intelligence. Dr. Jan Burgard is also responsible for the implementation of digital products at Berylls and is a proven expert for the Chinese market. Dr. Jan Burgard started his career at the investment bank MAN GROUP in New York. He developed a passion for the automotive industry during stopovers at an American consultancy and as manager at a German premium manufacturer.
In October 2011, he became a founding partners of Berylls Strategy Advisors. The top management consultancy was the origin of today’s Group and continues to be the professional nucleus of the Group. After studying business administration and economics, he earned his doctorate with a thesis on virtual product development in the automotive industry.
Featured Insights
utomotive COOs know environmental, social and economic considerations are the new license to operate – but making sustainability the guiding principle also creates value.
Driven by environmental legislation and customer demand, sustainability
is transforming the automotive industry. Carmakers are shifting from making
fossil fuel engines to vehicles powered by electric motors, and this profound
change has forced OEMs and their suppliers to transform the operational processes they have honed over decades.
However, to meet the ambitious emissions reductions targets set by governments and by OEMs themselves, it is not only the end product that must
change. As we identified in our COO Agenda, sustainability has far-reaching
industrial implications and must now be the guiding principle throughout automotive production and supply chains
To find out more, download our in-depth analysis!
Timo Kronen (1979) is partner at Berylls Group with focus on operations. He brings 17 years of industry and consulting experience in the automotive industry. His focus is on production, development and purchasing as well as supplier task forces. Some of his recent projects include: Restructuring of the Procurement Function (German Sports Car OEM), Supplier Task Force for an Onboard Charger (German Premium OEM), Strategy Development for the Component Production (German Premium OEM).
Before joining Berylls, Timo Kronen worked at PwC Strategy&, Porsche Consulting Group and Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG. He holds a diploma degree in industrial engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).
Featured Insights
Munich, April 2022
arketing efficiency, measured by the amount of budget needed to reach conversions within the marketing and sales funnel, is a critical success factor for OEMs.
We analyzed different OEMs concerning their marketing efficiency, by comparing the media budgets they spend to achieve certain levels of website visits, started configurations, finished configurations, and vehicle sales.
What we found is that the budget needed to reach a comparable funnel performance differs dramatically between OEMs. Having a more detailed comparison between Hyundai and Nissan, for example, shows that Nissan would need to spend roughly 9 times as much to reach the same number of finished configurations as Hyundai.
The conclusion we draw is that marketing efficiency can be improved by viewing marketing performance more holistically across all channels. While often, there is still too much focus on Paid Media as a silo, it is critical to concentrate on the combination of all marketing activities and view the entire funnel performance.
Improved targeting, an outstanding touchpoint experience and an optimized media mix are the key to more efficient media spend. Revisiting your Paid Earned Shared Owned (PESO) dashboard to uncover and focus on the most successful funnel will help you achieve more for less.
To find out more, download our in-depth analysis!
Sascha Kurth (1987) is a Principal at Berylls Mad Media, the Sales & Marketing Transformation unit of Berylls Group, a group of companies specializing in the automotive industry. He is an expert in building KPI & data-driven sales- and marketing-organizations and can look back on many years of experience in data-driven marketing and e-commerce environments.
Sascha Kurth has been advising automobile manufacturers in a global context since 2013. He has in-depth expert knowledge in the areas of goal-oriented sales & marketing planning, data management platforms & customer data platforms, e-commerce platforms, programmatic advertising, customer relationship management, smart KPIs and management dashboards.
Before joining Berylls Mad Media, he supported leading OEMs, e-mobility start-ups and fast moving consumer goods manufacturers in their sales and marketing transformation for PricewaterhouseCoopers
Featured Insights
Über den Zwang der Autobranche, sich mit Metaverse zu beschäftigen
Die digitale Welt ist auch für die Autobranche interessant, wenn nicht sogar für den Kapitalmarkt verpflichtend. „Meine Empfehlung: Man muss sich damit beschäftigen und den Grundsatz verstehen, was es für das eigene Geschäftsmodell bedeuten soll.“ Das heißt: Nicht nur Gewinne, sondern auch Kostenersparnisse berücksichtigen. Die Entwicklung sieht Burgard dennoch mit Skepsis: „Es gibt nicht wenige unzufriedene Menschen, die ihr Leben virtuell aufzuwerten versuchen.“
Quelle: Börse hören.
https://www.brn-ag.de/40389
Dr. Jan Burgard (1973) ist CEO der Berylls Group, einer internationalen und auf die Automobilitätsindustrie spezialisierten Unternehmensgruppe.
Sein Aufgabengebiet umfasst die Transformation von Luxus- und Premiumherstellern, mit besonderen Schwerpunkten auf Digitalisierung, Big Data, Start-ups, Connectivity und künstliche Intelligenz. Dr. Jan Burgard verantwortet bei Berylls außerdem die Umsetzung digitaler Produkte und ist ausgewiesener Spezialist für den Markt China.
Dr. Jan Burgard begann seine Karriere bei der Investmentbank MAN GROUP in New York. Die Leidenschaft für die Automobilitätsindustrie entwickelte er während Zwischenstopps bei einer amerikanischen Beratung und als Manager eines deutschen Premiumherstellers.
Im Oktober 2011 komplettierte er die Gründungspartner von Berylls Strategy Advisors. Die Top-Management-Beratung ist die Basis der heutigen Group und weiterhin der fachliche Nukleus aller Einheiten.
An das Studium der Betriebs- und Volkswirtschaftslehre, schloss sich die Promotion über virtuelle Produktentwicklung in der Automobilindustrie an.
Featured Insights
Munich, April 2022
ith Vehicle as a Service (VaaS) expected to increase its market share by close to 33% by 2025, OEMs need to get ready for the impact on aftersales
The global aftersales business – parts sales and maintenance services
through the dealer network – is a major profit pool for automotive OEMs and
dealers. It accounts for as much as 40% of the overall profit of some carmakers
and large, full-range dealerships.
How did aftersales become such a stable cash cow? This is mainly attributable
to the fact that for vehicles under warranty, OEMs have close to no competition
for the service and care of the cars they sell as most customers remain loyal
to the manufacturer they bought the vehicle from. Once cars are passed on to
their second or third owners, OEMs increasingly face the competition of the independent aftermarket (IAM) – repair shops offering cheaper labor rates and
parts to customers who are more price sensitive.
To find out more, download our in-depth analysis!
Paul Kummer (1983) joined Berylls Strategy Advisors, an international strategy consultancy specializing in the automotive industry, as a partner in October 2021. He is an automotive downstream expert.
He has been advising automotive manufacturers in a global context since 2010. He has in-depth expert knowledge in the areas of sales and aftersales. His other areas of expertise include growth strategy development, business model development, portfolio optimization and digital transformation.
Prior to joining Berylls Strategy Advisors, he worked for Monitor Deloitte and Accenture.
Paul received his MBA from WHU Otto Beisheim School of Management and his Industrial Engineering degree from DHWB Mosbach.
Copyright Berylls by AlixPartners
