Mazda Dealership Discovery

Online competitors have caused customers to seek alternatives to test drives, online web and dealership experiences.

The Goal

I was a UX Designer at Persons Consulting, where I improved the dealership and website experience in one month. I worked with a Senior Creative, Motion Designer, and manager to create a better test drive, showroom, and personalized experience on their website for more sales.

The Results

The quick run wasn't enough for testing, but it helped the client imagine and understand the potential for a better customer and user experience before going to the dealership. This led to new projects for the agency to enhance the company website for a more user-friendly experience.

How can we improve the shop and test-driving experience for customers outside the dealership?

The Challenge

Business Problem

To compete with Tesla, which doesn't use dealerships, the client wants to enhance their OEM website so that customers are motivated to visit dealerships. Dealers must adapt to provide a more personalized and less stressful car buying process.

Customer Problem

Due to state rules and varying dealer experiences, people are choosing simplified personal experiences before visiting dealers. They want to minimize face-to-face contact and avoid hassle when dealing with sellers.

Market Research

Even with the emergence of digital online services, there is no current system that is completely done online. There will need to be a mix of both online and offline services as a completely virtual experience is not ideal for many consumers making a vehicle purchase.

The finance part is still a big problem for buying a car, taking about two to three hours on average. The pandemic has made it even more common to use digital experiences before going to the dealership for a test-drive along with pricing negotiations.

To better understand the process of buying a car, the team did thorough field research by visiting different dealerships that sell both luxury and affordable car brands. This helped to identify common issues and similarities.

Demographic Exploration

  • “I want to see the latest models, features, and differentiatiors compared to competing models”

  • “I just want to know what the CX-30 is about and how it compares to the CX-3 and CX-5”

  • “The drive experience and handling is just unreal for the price point!”

  • “Love that all the safety features are across the line on CX-9”

  • “Where I live, everyone has a Tesla or hybrid vehicle. I’m very energy-conscious living in Southern California.”

Client-led Research

Working with executive managers and researcher, the team was presented with consolidated research to help drive the design to make the largest impact on the users. The OEM website on desktop and mobile are pulling users in but are also driving users away because it lacks the necessary tools to keep them engaged.

Signature Experience

Learning Engine

With the shift toward online digital experiences, there is a wealth of data from users that is not being utilized for optimal customer experiences. Learning to utilize data to predict behavior is essential in AI/ML and has proven to increase customer experiences over time.

Compare & Decide

With so much information online, helping customers make quick and informed comparisons specific to their preference when and where they need it the most. During this part of the journey, customers are looking to reduce their choices and expand on selection criteria.

Personalized OEM Website

To bring further personalization to the buying experience that is relevant and encourages long lasting customer support and connection. The purchase of a car is an investment and we want to support you every step of the way.

EV Evolution

Mazda is not far behind for reliability and its environmental impact of their vehicles. Customers need to feel confident within the new EV ecosystem and all of its attributes. Recent research suggests 7 in 10 Americans are interested in getting an EV electric car.

Demand Engine

Customers are increasingly expecting more online digital options for online purchase. By simplifying the technological infrastructure and providing more online opportunities for digital interaction–we can bridge the gap between shopping and buying into the dealership experience.

Curated Selection Engine for Intuitive Comparisons

In order to provide visual decision-making support throughout the digital experience, user and client need a system to help users make informed decision and to better learn about user preference. During this part of the journey, customers are looking to reduce their choices and expand on selection criteria.

Car2Go EV Launch to Reduce Environmental Impact

As consumer are shifting to EV and hybrid vehicles, , the client is highly aware of the environmental impact test drive can have on the community. Customer need to feel confident within the new EV ecosystem and all of its attributes. This would also drive the EV production brand value.

Project Retrospective

Business Impact

With the success of a one-month sprint on UX heuristics and signature experience, the client has become aware of the impact of creating a better user-experience from mobile and website (OEM) for customers. This has awarded the agency with future projects related to mobile and web development that better personalize return customers and test-drive experiences at the dealerships.

Ongoing Challenges

More research would be need to better curate the user flow to accommodate all the demographics. In addition to elevating the brand to a new EV ecosystem, the client will need to ensure all digital engagements help support the expectoration of a digital-first system.

What’s Next?

Phase two will begin the following month in July 2021 and will help better strategize the development of these elements on web and mobile experience. The launch will be accompanied by proper user testing to further validate the research and better tailor the experience for customer on their digital journey.