Case Study

Case Study: Ecommerce Strategy for Big Three Automaker

Business Challenge

Big Three client was uncertain about urgency posed by e-commerce, which delayed e-business initiatives and enabled pure-play competitors to extend their lead on owning the on-line customer.

Role

Subject Matter Expert to automotive practice for marketing, Internet and e-business strategy.  Played key role in leading Big Three client through vision and discovery process that enabled executives to understand sense of urgency of e-commerce imperative.

Rollout

In SME role, educated engagement team, which was largely created from Automotive Center of Excellence, on Internet-driven market development and its impact on the offline world. Explained and illustrated examples of the relevant “new rules,” drew out and culled key assumptions from the traditional automotive business, and collaboratively synthesized a vision. Aggressively extended the team’s “imagination horizon” to produce breakaway vision that would engage the client and properly position executives’ scope of thinking, playing key role in creating vision for automotive e-commerce.

Developed and designed visionary presentations to illustrate Internet’s impact on how to use e-commerce to produce value in new ways; for example, focused on the value platform of car owners’ ownership experiences. Contributed Internet market strategy knowledge to numerous engagement team brainstorming sessions. Authored key deliverables for major client presentations.

Results

• Visionary presentation repositioned the Firm as strategy player within Big Three client that had traditionally perceived Firm as technology and process consultant.
• Contributed to client development efforts for succeeding engagements that brought millions to the Firm.
• Repurposed key content from vision deliverables to educate hundreds of Firm consultants globally, leading to e-business strategy adoption in the Firm.