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Interview with Silvana Buljan, Buljan & Partners Consulting, and Anika Spliethoff, Forsta "Germans love their cars and have a strong trust in car brands"
Interview with Silvana Buljan, Buljan&Partners Consulting & Anika Spliethoff, Forsta
"Germans love their cars and have a strong trust in car brands"
What moves people when they come into contact with brands and services from the mobility industry? What expectations do customers have? Together with Silvana Buljan and Anika Spliethoff, we take a look behind the scenes and get exciting insights from their multinational mobility study.
What "moves" the customer today? "Behind the Scenes" of a multinational mobility study – this is the title of your web seminar at Week of Market Research. What was the focus of the study? Behind which scenes do you take the participants?
Anika Spliethoff: BEST-XPERIENCE has the goal of filling the current lack on information about the changing priorities and habits of customers and to show what moves customers of different European countries with regards to mobility when they encounter brands and services in urban mobility. In the webinar we present both the results as well as the methodology of the study.
What has happened in the field of mobility over the past two years? What changed expectations do people have of their means of transport?
Silvana Buljan: Urban mobility is today more volatile than ever. We find ourselves in a transition period in which many alternative mobility solutions arise, while the traditional offer is still present for a major part of the population. In total we can see that young people value practicability and older people value good service and care.
Despite the high affinity to owning a car, alternative mobility services are coming more into focus: public transport, for example, continues to be the most used alternative mobility service - albeit with very different CX levels between countries.
If there are enough attractive mobility alternatives, one in seven customers say they are unlikely to buy a private vehicle again. But what exactly makes an alternative mobility offer attractive to customers? Let's look at this for Germany as an example:
Customers value the simplicity of concluding a contract when using the various services, so a simple and transparent booking system and proximity are essential for customers - and this is also where the greatest potential for improvement lies. Older users in Germany have difficulties finding a mobility service that suits their needs because the mobility options in their cities are not clear enough.
Since taxis and public transport tend to be rated negatively because they do not meet the needs for proximity and availability, and Germany is still very vehicle-oriented, the classic car-sharing service is seen here as an attractive alternative to public transport and is most often recommended.
With your study you hit the nail on the head: the car is currently often abandoned due to the enormous increase in fuel prices. What do you think, is it just a temporary trend or could it be the beginning of a fundamental change?
Anika Spliethoff: Looking into the future is becoming increasingly difficult - especially against the background of recent world political events. This makes it more valuable to know the current acceptance of certain models among customers.
Since car brands enjoy a high level of trust with regard to mobility services in all markets surveyed - in Germany, trust in car brands is twice as high as in public transport - sharing services will not completely replace car ownership in the short term. But at least one in seven customers states that they will probably no longer buy a private vehicle due to suitable mobility alternatives in the city. The expansion of correspondingly attractive offers is thus becoming increasingly important. However, the study also shows that in Italy, Great Britain, France and Germany, the foundations for mobility alternatives must first be laid, followed by reliability and proximity, because public transport has very low NPS ratings in almost all countries. New and better experiences are needed to bring about change in the long term. Regarding bike sharing, this seems to have already worked well: this mobility alternative achieves the highest "repurchase rates".
What stands out in terms of mobility in Germany compared to other countries?
Silvana Buljan: Germans love their cars and have a strong trust in car brands. Even after a bad experience, they remain loyal to their brand. However, they expect their basic needs to be sufficiently met. While in France the focus should rather be on service and in the UK on an excellent digital experience and innovation, the recommendation to the German car market is "back to basics": meeting the needs of traditional customers with a focus on simplicity and product excellence.
Overall, Spain is the only country where the NPS for alternative mobility is positive. Customer experience has been established in the service country Spain for much longer than in the other countries. This is also reflected in mobility. A lack of skilled professionals and a historical focus on product excellence often do not help with the emotional connection of the customer in Germany.
To what extent does sustainability actually play a role in people's minds when it comes to mobility?
Anika Spliethoff: In the context of environmental challenges and as a result of ecological regulations and restrictions for city centres across Europe, electric or hybrid vehicles are an option for approximately one in three customers when making their next new car purchase. However, there are significant differences between the markets: Almost every other car customer from Italy would consider buying an electric or hybrid vehicle, while in Germany it is not even one in four customers. Before the network of mobility alternatives is appropriately available, a rethink in the direction of electric or hybrid vehicles is necessary.
How did Forsta and Bujan&Partners / Motorpress come to work together on the study?
Anika Spliethoff: The study was conducted by Buljan&Partners and Motorpress Ibérica. Buljan&Partners is an international consultancy with 20 years of experience in Customer Centric Management and Customer Experience, including in the automotive and transport industries. Motorpress Ibérica specialises in multi-channel communication and content creation for the automotive, motorbike, sports and lifestyle sectors. Buljan&Partners and Forsta have a long-standing business relationship. When Forsta heard about the study, we were immediately happy to support it, as we are convinced of the importance of the topic "mobility". Due to the different markets investigated, it is important to make the results accessible to all interested parties as barrier-free as possible. Forsta is happy to make its expertise available for this purpose.
For whom are your study results particularly interesting?
Silvana Buljan: The study results are interesting for all companies and organizations that want to position themselves in the field of urban mobility. On the one hand, this can be the classic car manufacturer and its dealer network, the advertising agency that focuses on the positioning of the individual brands in the various markets, as well as the urban planner or companies from the field of alternative mobility, all the way to energy suppliers or insurance companies. The study is broadly based and contains many detailed implications, so that interesting insights await everyone.
ABOUT
Silvana Buljan is internationally recognized as an expert in customer centricity, customer relationship management, employee experience and organizational change. Since 1998 she has been involved in strategy projects for leading brands in the automotive, tourism and transport sectors, among others. As a speaker, trainer, mentor, coach and consultant, Silvana works in a team of specialists who support international companies worldwide.
Anika Spliethoff works for Forsta as a project manager, where she is primarily responsible for supporting and advising clients in their CX projects. Previously, she worked for 15 years at Kantar as a project manager in the CX area.
The interview was originally published in German on marktforschung.de - here
