- 23 February 2021
- News
It has now been 6 years since Smilenet decided to embark on an adventure in the U.S. by participating in the prestigious AUTOMOTIVE WEBSITE AWARDS contest that is routinely held on the sidelines of the national convention of NADA (National Automotive Dealer Association) the powerful U.S. Dealers Association.
In 2015 Smilenet was being honored with "Peak Performance." In the following 5 years with the Best EU Website, an even more prestigious award recognizing the best Website platform for Dealers in Europe.
The AWA is a challenging project involving all company development, design and production teams. Rather than a typical award competition, the AWA is a kind of certification of the quality of products, production processes and technological innovation.
The goal of AWAs is to bring transparency to the digital marketing choices faced by Dealers. Companies participating in the AWA must comply with a very strict process made up of technical questionnaires, provision of material and documentation attesting to the contents of the products to be certified, sending Demos flanked by specific video-conference sessions. In addition, the company must provide a list of contacts, customers and resellers who will be interviewed and asked to submit a review.
Once the products are certified, AWA publishes the reviews in a book that brings together all the companies in their respective areas of operation: Digital Retailing, Digital Marketing, EU Website, Fixed Ops, Marketing Automation, Saler Process, Social Media, Reputation Management, Rising Stars, ES Websites, Web Merchandising.
But why participate in the AWA every year? We turned some questions over to the two owners of Smilenet.
"The AWA is a prestigious recognition that has made Smilenet known nationally and internationally, but above all it is a test that obliges the company to maintain a very high level of focus and concentration in technological innovation and new product research & development. An unquestionable advantage of the AWA is to be able to enter head-on into the universe of digital companies in the US by facilitating collaborations and partnerships thanks to a notoriety that is above all a guarantee of quality and reliability.
The AWA is a year-long challenge where each company department must bring its expertise to bear in a constant team-building effort in order to achieve better and better results. The pursuit of excellence, especially in technology, is a never-ending process. This is demonstrated by the sudden changes brought about by artificial intelligence, which is also the result of evolving user behavior.
How is the auto industry changing and why is Dealer digitization so important?
"The auto, even before the pandemic, was experiencing momentous changes in consumer buying processes that, with the effect of lock downs, have accelerated dramatically. The Dealer today cannot neglect this phenomenon, thinking about the web with the same logic as a few years ago. You have to plan your digital strategy with the same commitment as when you once invested in a sales branch. Digital has become a fundamental channel of interaction with the customer, and Smilenet has understood this by responding to Dealer requests with the development of so-called - instant interaction - which allows, precisely, to relate with users while browsing by making them get in touch with the dealer in real time.
Can you better explain what instant Interaction is ?
"These are specific design techniques of the so-called SRP (Search Result Page) or VDP (Vehicle Detail Page). Web platforms must be able to offer a high level of technical description of the stock of available vehicles, with the fundamental support of movies and images, even in dynamic 360° formulas. With Instant Interaction are designed buttons that are activated at different stages of user navigation such as whatsapp channels, video chat, online booking It is an evolution of the classic lead generation originally based on the compilation of CTAs (call to action). Today in practice it is flanked by ways of direct and immediate contact between the customer and the dealership's BDC"
What has changed in these 6 years in the design of technology platforms for the automotive sector ?
"It has changed so much. Suffice it to say that today a web platform lasts an average of four to five years, and the trend is toward even shorter renewal times. But above all, the complexity of the content and modules that integrate the platforms has exploded, and they now number dozens of applications with custom solutions designed to meet the needs of any type of customer. Especially multi-brand multi-builder Dealers who increasingly need to operate on the web with specific solutions and their own identity."
An example of this modularity?
"It is related to the design phases of the platform.
Initially, the web platform is thought of in terms of layout and user experience. Already at these levels uncommon technological knowledge is required in order to give usability and maximum organic visibility to the site. Then it must be able to dialogue with dozens of CRMs and DMSs and fit into a business organization from where different software such as those related to multi-publication of ads are often already active.
Then it needs to be adapted to the company's commercial policy, deciding on the methods and filters for publishing the stock, displaying prices and promotions, and linking it to the photo database or actual photos.
This is followed by a phase in which the additional modules to be activated are agreed upon, e.g., chats, chat-bots, the used-vehicle evaluation module, dynamic landing pages, publication of reviews, lead connectors, and procedures for online sales, which are also becoming a reality in the Automotive sector.
This is followed by the activation of the Advanced SEO and Local SEO services, which are key to ensuring the platform's visibility at the geolocation level. in addition to the Advertising channels that work in perfect sync and are key to increasing lead generation."
How does Smilenet keep up with the evolution of the many products and modules that technology makes available today ?
"It is impossible to develop everything in-house. You have to be wary of companies that claim to offer all the solutions that can cover 100 percent of a digital strategy in the automotive sector. Very high levels of specialization are required for some modules or services. Smilenet offers several solutions to satisfy even the most demanding customers. Through AWA it accesses the immense wealth of technological know-how and innovation available in U.S. companies. In this way, partnerships of absolute value can be realized. For example, we cite the one with LES Automotive for instant posting of vehicle videos and photos and Gubagoo for chat and video chat integrated with all other communication channels such as whatsapp. These are selected companies that provide products of absolute excellence integrated into Smilenet platforms.
But partnerships in Italy are equally important. We mention as an example the historical collaboration with The Academy for digital training, DMMA courses and the organization of events called " the Digital Era of the Car" and dedicated to Digital Managers of the car.
Then we have many other collaborations. For example, with TocToc we studied electronic contract signing and procedures for Dealer dematerialization. Studio4fold helps us in the development of strategies on social channels. With CDK we are developing APIs for greater integration with DMS platforms. With Local Strategy we have developed specific products for monitoring Google My Business cards.
How do customers navigate among such broad and diverse solutions ?
The customer needs a company that knows the industry but more importantly offers a sincere advisory relationship. You have to have the courage to inform the customer correctly with full transparency because technology allows you to do so many things but also has limitations.