Approach.

Retro-fitting parts and upgrading an already high-performing car can be a complex affair.  Only certain upgrades and accessories were available to certain Bentley models and the year of manufacturer.  Bentley had undertaken some to determine which car, model and year could have what upgrades.  My role was to create the strategy of how this would be executed via the Bentley website.

To kick start this project a number of sessions were required with Bentley and its various teams across the business.  I spilt the session into three tracks: 

1. Customer experience and content

2. Technical execution

3. Dealer lead generation

As well as defining the experience, I also had to consider how we would technically execute the platform and provide leads to it’s global network of dealers.  I started with the customer experience and what we would expect this to be.  This would later inform the technical requirements and ultimately the expectations of lead generation and how we expected the dealers to respond.

As certain upgrades were only available for particular cars, we wanted to ensure that what the customer saw was an option for them. We also created an e-commerce experience that would allow customers to create a basket or wish list. This wish list would then be submitted to a dealer of their choice.  The financial transaction would take place once the work had been completed on the car.

Once the experience was mapped out, I worked with development resource to define the technical tools, systems and platforms to be able to execute the experience. I then created a further 12-month roadmap to define how the product and service should evolve.

Outcome.

The platform was successfully launched in 2016 and integrated into the global bentleymotors.com website.  It was launched in an iterative fashion that was aligned to the product roadmap. We were unable to start launch with pricing, for example, or all the upgrade packs.  These were added over the following 12 months. 

The platform has proven to be great lead generator for Bentley worldwide and has led to increased engagement with its customer base.  This has brought Bentley customers back into the official dealer network, leading not only to upgrade sales but also new and used car sales.

Methods & Tools.

The information below details a selection of the methodologies, techniques and tools used to deliver the project.