Volkswagen Car Configurator
Configuring the car and contacting the dealer
The leading car manufacturer Volkswagen Group operates websites in many markets worldwide. The core of the website is the car configurator. pro!vision - a subsidiary of diva-e - had taken over the development of the car configurator iHDCC (intelligent High Definition Car Configurator) from a third-party supplier and led it to a successful launch in about 25 markets. The car configurator offered potential customers a wide range of online options for configuring the vehicle of their choice. The integrated dealer contact center guided potential customers straight to the next step in the sales process. Convenient search, information and route planning functionalities made it easy to find the right Volkswagen dealer. Online forms for customers and prospects simplified the process of contacting and making appointments with Volkswagen dealers. To create the forms, an online form builder was used that diva-e had developed in Adobe AEM and closely integrated with the Volkswagen CMS.
Objective
Rollout in build-to-order and build-to-stock markets
The goal was to create a unified car configurator platform and better support follow-up sales initiation and information processes for VW customers and prospects. The platform should be rolled out worldwide in Build-to-Order (BTO) markets and Built-to-Stock (BTS) markets, including USA and China. The car configurator should be customizable to meet the needs of each market. Both BTO markets, where the car is produced only after the customer orders it, and BTS markets, where it is produced on stock, should be able to use the car configurator.
Implementation
Car configurator & deal contact center
Car Configurator (iHDCC)
The car configurator iHDCC, a Java web application running in Apache Tomcat, was integrated into the Adobe AEM CMS. At the same time, the frontend application developed by a third-party provider had to be successfully taken over, the Volkswagen backend systems had to be connected and a powerful caching based on Couchbase had to be ensured.
Dealer Contact Center (DCC)
The Dealer Contact Center (DCC) for contacting the dealer consisted of two parts. One part of the application included convenient search, information and route planning functionalities. This part was a Java web application that was run in parallel to the car configurator iHDCC in Apache Tomcat and integrated into the AEM VW CMS.
The second part of the DCC consisted of online forms for contacting and making appointments with Volkswagen dealers. These forms were created in the CMS using a so-called "form builder toolbox". Internationally, various CRM systems were used within the Volkswagen Group. The CRM systems were connected to the CMS in order to optimally process the leads generated with the customer contacts.
Result
Unified car configurator platform
diva-e developed a uniform and global auto configurator platform for all markets of the Volkswagen Group and improved the contact with Volkswagen dealers. Costs were significantly reduced compared to the pre-project. The results at a glance:
Customization options of the car configurator to meet different market requirements (Build-to-Order and Built-to-Stock markets)
Implementation of complex rule sets of the configuration process and the product data program
Development of complex caching and precaching solutions to increase performance, optimize the customer experience and reduce the load on the backend systems
Implementation of a service-oriented architecture (SOA)
Introduction of a scalable REST-centric architecture
Partner in the project
