Volvo Cars' new website gets 55 million visits this year
Volvo Cars' new website gets 55 million visits this year
Volvo Cars is introducing a fresh and improved version of its highly appreciated website, volvocars.com. This year more than 55 million people will have visited it by year's end. Customer wishes played a crucial role in the redesign. Using a variety of smart functions, the improved site provides active help in finding exactly what the visitor wants to know. When the rollout phase ends, the site will be available on more than 70 markets and in 36 languages.
The result of the third generation of Volvo Cars' website is a functional and clean site typical of Scandinavian style characterized by exceptional ease of navigation.
Among the latest features are a new, tasteful and clean design, a configurator with a build-your-own-car option, clearer presentation of each function via a "five things to know" menu, and a practical search facility.
Most exciting, however, and part of the drive to help users, is the site's ability to monitor and deduce what visitors are looking for. The key word is personalisation.
"The system detects whether you are a rational or emotional visitor by assessing the type of information on which you click. The site then suggests information to match your needs," says Bruno G. Renhult, Program Manager for volvocars.com at Volvo Cars.
Customer needs in focus
During the development process, real customer needs played a vital role in determining content. Comprehensive market surveys were conducted on Volvo's largest markets. User logic, the way the user obtains information and how the user's eyes move across the page were all important aspects of the surveys.
"To some extent the results surprised us but they certainly did help guide us. It is the visitors who help us build our brand. That being the case, it is only natural that we want to help them understand what our brand stands for," explains Bruno G. Renhult.
Visitors to the site who want to go to a Volvo dealer to have a look at a Volvo model get help to locate the nearest dealer.
"This is an important function. In fact, today when customers arrive at the dealership they are usually very informed and have done a lot of reading-up on the model of their choice," says Sofia Heddson Fransén, head of Interactive Marketing at Volvo Cars.
Kicked off in Frankfurt
First off the mark during the introductory phase of the new improved website was the global version, www.volvocars.com. It was unveiled in connection with the Frankfurt motor show on September 9. Britain was the first market. And in Spain, where the new version has been rolled out, customer response has been overwhelming.
"Our customers and dealers are impressed with how simple it is to navigate between Volvo's various models. The new functions are highly appreciated. The new website reflects exactly what our brand represents today," says Marta Lozano, CRM & Interactive Manager at Volvo Cars in Spain.
Right now the new website is being rolled out on all Volvo Cars markets at a rate of eight markets a week. When the launch is completed in February next year, more than 70 markets and 36 language versions will have received the third version of the website.
Two Chinese versions
For example, the website is available in every imaginable format from Hebrew which is read from right to left, through two different versions of Chinese, to a wide variety of European languages such as English, German and Swedish.
Volvo Cars was one of the first car makers in the world to launch a global platform for its websites, starting back in 1997. Developments have taken place gradually and today the website is the hub of all the company's marketing undertakings.
www.volvocars.com is ranked every year as the best website in the automobile industry according to survey specialists Byte Level Research. In 2008 the website came fourth out of all corporate websites the world over according to the Byte Level Research survey.
Visitor statistics are impressive and are increasing significantly from year to year. For 2009 the target was 46 million visitors. That target is going to be exceeded.
"We'll end up with about 55 million visits. We've noted a significant increase, beginning in November 2008," says Sofia Heddson Fransén.