For this post, I wanted to create the Consumer Decision Journey for a Mercedes customer. This will help my team determine points of receptivity. In other words, we will be able to determine the best times and places to reach out target market. I first took a look at the model we were provided in class as well as Consumer Decision Journeys we have constructed for the past campaigns. Below is an example of the journey from our Hot Table campaign.
The first step in the Consumer Decision Journey is a trigger, which causes the consumer to begin looking for a car. I found some research that shows the most common triggers that lead to a consumer purchasing a car. These triggers include:
- my family members or dependents can use it
- need for more space/ larger vehicle
- new technology available
- can afford to buy/ lease another vehicle
- improve fuel efficiency
- improve reliability
- purchase vehicle with better brand/ image
For first time buyers, "my family members or dependents can use it" is the most likely to trigger a purchase and "purchase vehicle with better brand/ image" is the least likely to be the trigger. "My family members or dependents can use it" is shown to be eight times more important than brand/ image. This makes sense for first time purchasers who are likely not looking for status and are more likely looking for basic performances. For repeat buyers, "new technology available" and "need more space/ larger vehicle" are the top triggers and the gap between these triggers and brand/image is smaller (3 times more). This data would likely be different if the study had only look at luxury cars, but it still gives us a good idea of why consumers make the decision to buy a car.
The next part of the Consumer Decision Journey is the initial consideration set or the short list of brands that the consumer is deciding between. For Mercedes, the competitors would be Audi, BMW, Land Rover, Porsche, Volvo, Acura, Infiniti, and Lexus. Through our consumer research, we saw that BMW was the biggest competitor for Mercedes within our target market. BMW appears to be a more youthful brand than Mercedes, which is known for being bought by retirees.
The next step is the 0 moment of truth. This is when the consumer first googles Mercedes. This occurs after the consumer becomes aware of the brand and begins the active consideration phase where consumers search for information and shop amongst brands. In this stage of the Consumer Decision Journey there must be some stimuli that brings Mercedes into the consumer's consideration set if it is not already there. This can be done through a variety of touch points including advertising, word-of-mouth, etc. The report I read gave some helpful information about the topics that consumers search for. Here are the main search terms that impact a consumers purchase decision for a car in order of highest relevance to the consumer:
- price/ value of vehicle
- vehicle features
- type of engine
- type of vehicle
- model of vehicle
- brand of vehicle
- styling and/ or color of vehicle
- car news on independent websites
- family and friends
- news articles/ media reviews
- manufacturer websites
- salesperson at the dealership
- social networking sites
Next comes moment of truth 1 when the consumer sees the dealership and the car for the first time. This is why the outward, luxurious decor of the Mercedes dealership is so important. In addition, as with all dealerships, the brand cars sitting in the parking lot are an important part of the visual appeal to the consumer.
This leads to the moment of purchase and includes stimulating the consumers. Some ways Mercedes stimulates the consumers is through
- high class, luxury cars
- extremely safety conscious
- top of the industry automotive technology
- brand name appeal, prestige, and status
Then there is the moment of truth 2 when the consumer actually walks through the doors of the dealership. This is an extremely important part of the buying process for Mercedes Springfield. Michelle talked about how they think of every aspect that consumer will experience during their stay. It all starts with a friendly employee who greets the consumer as soon as they walk in. Behind the happy employee is a large photo of one of Mercedes most iconic vintage cars. To the left of the help desk is an actual vintage car that has been lent to the dealership by an owner. Surrounding all this is a sparkling clean area covered with spotless, shining luxury cars. The dealership has an open layout to represent the transparency of the organization and help the customer trust the brand and feel comfortable during their entire experience. In addition, Mercedes even gives out complementary Mercedes branded cold water bottles and little treats that customers can enjoy while listening to the soft neutral music playing throughout the dealership. They even thought about what plays on the TV in the lounge area. They selected HGTV because it is neutral. For example, if they had picked a certain news channel some customers would not like their pick (different news channels associated with different political views) could be polarizing for the customer and give them a negative view of Mercedes.
The last stage of the Consumer Decision Journey is the post purchase experience and the moment of truth 3, which when you talk about the experience (word of mouth). This is important because as we learned earlier, family and friends and word of mouth are very important for consumers looking to gain information when making a car purchase. Something that encourages Mercedes owners to talk about their purchases could influence new buyers. This stage leads to the loyalty loop, which is when consumers make a repeat purchase. Mercedes has very high loyalty rate (upwards of 70%), so repeat purchases are a very important part of their business model.
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