Volkswagen had existing discreet channels trying to address this issue.

These included the iPhone configurator app (The first configurator app of any manufacturer with over 60,000 downloads from iTunes) and vw.co.uk (the UK’s most popular automotive website with 10m visitors in 2011 (Sophus)).

The strategic solution was to seamlessly integrate these existing mobile and online experiences to the showroom through digital tablets in every showroom. It was also an opportunity to unify the customer journey with a consistent tone of voice.Tablets were chosen as the vehicle because they make the interaction personal, mobile and flexible.

We chose iPads in particular because of their established technology, desirability and brand fit.We wanted the experience tailored to the retail environment and to be a feature in their own right, adding to the retail experience.

Before committing to a network-wide roll out we piloted the digital showroom in three retailers.We achieved our three goals of increasing the conversion rate, average revenue per sale andcustomer satisfaction levels and so rolled-out the solution across the network.This made Volkswagen the first car retailer to put iPads across their whole dealer networkWith over 200 retailers across the country and more than 2000 iPads