The Showroom Has Moved into the Living Room: A Digital Transformation in Automotive Retail

Michael Stein is Head of Marketing at Semler Mobility Denmark (SEAT, SKODA, Audi & Volkswagen).

Michael Stein, Strategy Business Development at Semler Gruppen A/A (SEAT, ŠKODA, Audi, Volkswagen), has spearheaded significant digital transformations across the Semler Group Denmark. From his start as Head of Marketing for Volkswagen DK to overseeing the entire brand portfolio and latest working with Strategy Business Development, Michael has been a key driver of innovation and digital integration within the company’s marketing strategies.

…Danish consumers are among the most digitised
in Europe. 95% of all car buyers use digital channels throughout the buying process.

– Google Consumer Barometer Study, 2017

The Digital Buyer’s Journey in Denmark: Recognized as some of the most digitized consumers in Europe, Danish car buyers are increasingly turning to digital channels for their purchasing decisions. Notably, from 2006 to 2013, the average number of dealership visits per buyer dropped from 5 to just 1.6, indicating a significant shift toward online engagement (Google Consumer Barometer Study, 2017; McKinsey & Company, 2014).

Semler Group’s Digital Marketing Evolution: Michael Stein notes the elevated consumer expectations for digital experiences, stating, “Prospects want at any time to access and engage with relevant and value-added content that aids in their decision-making process.” Adopting a mobile-first strategy, Volkswagen Group DK has effectively leveraged technology and content distribution to deliver superior digital marketing experiences across all channels consistently.

Collaboration with DENSOU: For the past three years, DENSOU and Semler Group have jointly developed the dolocal.io platform. This automated advertising platform allows local dealerships to effectively launch targeted display and social media campaigns at the community level.

Here is a short recap of the reflections and deployment process from Michael Stein’s perspective:

Objectives

• Initiate a digital maturation process that mirrors the predominant digital consumer behavior.
• Shift the organizational mindset to embrace digital-first strategies across all paid media marketing.
• Implement a recency-planned, always-on brand portfolio strategy.
• Partner with a digital development agency that aligns with our operational model and business objectives.

Onboarding experience

• DENSOU has addressed our technical and business challenges by providing customized solutions that facilitated the transition to an automated local advertising platform for both headquarters and dealerships.
• The partnership has been characterized by DENSOU’s humility, accessibility, and mutual eagerness to learn and adapt based on our collaborative experiences.

Solutions and Outcomes

• The dolocal.io platform has become essential across all brands (VW, ŠKODA, SEAT, Cupra, and Porsche), supporting a broad digital transformation.
• More than 20,000 local display and social media campaigns have been executed, outperforming traditional local print advertising in efficacy.
• Dealerships with little prior experience in paid media have seen substantial increases in sales and customer engagement.
• Digital campaigns have significantly enhanced traffic to dealership websites and physical locations, with a marked increase in unique page visits and in-store conversions.

Conclusion: This collaboration exemplifies a successful digital evolution, enhancing both digital engagement and physical dealership visits, which has led to increased sales and a strengthened market presence.

Reserve your spot today

For an exclusive demo session and see how the dolocal.io platform can:

• Target your local audiences efficiently: Launch precision-targeted advertising campaigns that reach local customers right where they are.
• Automate your marketing: Save time and reduce costs with automated ad creation that pulls directly from your job listings, featuring key details like the model, price, and specifications.
• Drive greater ROI: Achieve higher conversion rates and greater ROI through advanced targeting techniques that outperform traditional advertising methods.

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For inquiries concerning our platform solutions please contact us at platform@densou.dk