The Škoda Online platform, created by the Cleverlance IT company, is a pioneering e-commerce project. The interface of a classic e-shop was integrated here in the online environment with a both legislatively and operationally complicated offer of operating leases. The process also includes the scoring of the customer.
Due to the need for vehicle booking during the order creation, the e-shop system had to be fully integrated into Škoda's proprietary order and warehouse system.
From booking to payment
The vehicles must be booked for the time when the order is being performed. However, bookings made by visitors who aren't really interested mustn't block all stock. For example, a big challenge was to associate the different reaction times of the car manufacturer's individual systems with the requirement of 24/7 availability of the e-shop.
The system also includes a confirmation of the client's interest in a specific car and the booking of the new car delivery date to the customer's home. The e-shop is fully integrated with the Škoda group's payment gateway. The whole car purchase process runs at a high level of security, not only technology. The requirements of the GDPR Personal Data Protection Regulation which will come into force in May were also taken into account.
"The new generation of customers thinks a little different, they do a lot of things online, which is a matter of course for them. Today, they can buy our cars for operating leases via the internet. In the future, we will extend this offer to cars defined by our customers using our web configurator," said Luboš Vlček, Executive Director of Sales and Marketing at Škoda Auto Czech Republic.
