High-Tech Entertainment E-Space for a Luxury Car Brand
Jakob Vollenstein
Product manager
"Andersen won for its ability to create unique digital products"
About the client
Mercedes-Benz is a high-end luxury car manufacturer offering a range of products and services, including financing, leasing, car rental, fleet management, and innovative mobility services. They have a global presence of showrooms with their premium vehicles.
![[object Object] on the map](https://static.andersenlab.com/andersenlab/new-andersensite/bg-for-blocks/about-the-client/germany-tablet-2x.png)
Project overview
The local authorities in the customer's city made a decision concerning car dealerships – car showrooms had to be removed from the downtown area. The showrooms of Mercedes-Benz had to comply. In order to showcase the brand's vehicles, an innovative and digitized way needed to be found and implemented in technical terms. This is how the Mercedes Me Café concept was born. It was an important step towards the Mercedes-Benz digital transformation necessitated by the new promotion regulations. These Cafés are spaces where the brand can reach its potential clients.
This concept boasts a range of interactive elements to draw the guests’ attention to the Mercedes-Benz brand. These interactive user capabilities are delivered via touchscreen displays.
The marketing agency selected and contracted by Mercedes-Benz created the concept of Mercedes Me Café. This concept presupposed several sophisticated and challenging tech tasks. They were as follows:
- Crafting the program component for the Mercedes Me Café infrastructure;
- Delivering the software that would be a base for the required touchscreens;
- Generating a convenient, reliable, and intuitive system to visually select car configuration;
- Seamlessly integrating between ordering food, car configurations, and games.
Andersen’s technology experts, as a team with numerous entertainment projects behind them, won the bid to engineer software for Mercedes Me Café. This choice was determined by our broad IT experience and deep tech expertise in everything related to interactive and engaging solutions for entertainment and media. Another important factor was our advanced UI skills needed to ensure unique and pleasant user experiences for high-end audiences.
Solution
The software for the Mercedes-Benz digital showroom was supposed to be built as an isolated Microsoft Windows app. Andersen’s engineers needed to develop a program capable of functioning in full-screen mode and excluding user access to other apps and OS services.
Some difficulties were caused by the need to launch various apps inside the software shell. In order to overcome and resolve those difficulties and deliver outstanding software for Mercedes-Benz, our developers built a sort of individual sub-OS to be launched inside Windows. This sub-OS runs its own web browser, social networks, email clients, and other apps. On top of that, the shell has an original UI with perfectly optimized controls for screens of various sizes. This is how we ensured the maximum level of convenience for all the visitors and guests of Mercedes Me Café.
The games had been developed by third-party developers and delivered before the Mercedes Me Café project started. As a result, they needed to be running within the entertainment solution without any visible involvement of Microsoft Windows. This situation caused another tech problem – by default, once the end-user exits the game, they inevitably return to the Windows interface, not the Café. Andersen’s team effectively dealt with this potential issue. Our IT specialists tailored the written code and integrated it into the interactive program shell. This made it possible to launch the games directly from the Mercedes Me Café software framework and return right to it after sessions end.
App functionality
- The solution makes it possible to order meals and drinks from the menu. These orders are then uploaded to the Café’s functional terminals to be processed by the Café’s staff. What is particularly important is that users interact with multimedia marketing content when using the menu;
- The Café’s touchscreens are interconnected within a single network that has access to the Internet. Via them, users can surf the web and social platforms, use apps, pay their bills, interact with other screens, and view multimedia content;
- Another challenge that we have successfully tackled has become a source of pride for us. Andersen's team developed a visual selection system for various car configurations. The Mercedes virtual showroom system uses a camera to analyze clients’ appearance, including their age, gender, clothing styles, hair, and other details. Based on that information, the system generates configuration suggestions;
- In order to engage the guests of Mercedes Me Café even further, our car software experts added the possibility of creating dynamic videos. They are based on the choices end-users make and are intended to motivate them to sign-up for a test-drive of a Mercedes vehicle similar to a previously suggested configuration;
- The five preinstalled games are a key attractive capability offered by the touchscreens. They are all designed in conformity with the Mercedes-Benz style and act as a user engagement factor;
- Ensuring the web app is responsive and provides the best possible experience across different device types and sizes;
- Integrating with analytics tools to track user interactions and app performance.
Project results
The solution delivered by Andersen was a crucial part of the Mercedes Me Café car showroom project. As user reviews indicate, the target audience likes touchscreens. They also appreciate such opportunities as multimedia marketing materials, games, and the ability to select a car configuration.
The Mercedes Me Café project became effective leverage, attracting new local clients to Mercedes-Benz. It succeeded in directing potential clients to the dealerships’ showrooms, although there were no physical cars available.
Later, this successful project turned out to be an extra competitive advantage under the conditions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic. With the need for greater social distancing, Mercedes Me Cafés can serve as a point for contactless purchases. On top of that, they can, in a digitized fashion, provide potential buyers with highly personalized and luxurious client experiences.
Customer review
Jakob Vollenstein
Product manager
Germany
Review
We selected software developers based on a competition that Andersen won for its ability to create unique digital products. Our Mercedes Cafe app had to serve customers on-demand and handle multimedia marketing materials. The developers completed the task on time, and the app functionality is beyond doubt thanks to the QA team and analysts' work.
Website design & development
Andersen’s experts won the bid to build entertainment software for Mercedes Me Café. Their choice was based on our extensive IT experience and impressive track record covering interactive and engaging IT tools used in high-profile projects. Another important factor was the advanced UI skills required to ensure best-in-class user experiences for a demanding target audience.
About
The two crucial requirements for the software were a possibility to order meals and drinks from the e-menu and a convenient way to interact with multimedia marketing materials. Every order placed in the system is then uploaded to the Café’s functional terminals where staff can start processing it.
Process
Andersen’s experts divide each creative process into stages to take all the important details into account. Considering the peculiarities of the UCD approach, we decided to resort to flexible analysis. In this fashion, we were able to examine users' actions and behavior at different stages.
Personas played an important part in determining the ultimate success of the projects. To ensure the effectiveness of these personas, we conducted a thorough investigation focused on the potential Café visitors, their main goals, and concerns. In fact, we paid even more attention to personas than usual, and this allowed us to ensure an excellent user experience.
Andrew is the CEO of a large marketing company. He resides downtown with his wife and child, in his own apartment. Andrew drives a Mercedes CLS-Class Coupé. He values his time and is looking for a café offering delicious food where he can have a snack during his breaks. An opportunity to check the condition of his car and book car services would be the cherry on the cake.
Anna is a blogger and extrovert. She resides in a downtown apartment with her husband and child. Anna drives a Mercedes GLA-Class. She does household chores and drives her child to school. In her free time, she likes to meet with her friends or go to the gym.
User Flow
To analyze user actions and perform further user flow tests, we prioritized a project map. That map was later transformed into a user flow. This approach made it possible to track users' locations and their activities taking place at one or another interaction level. As a result, we were ready to run tests and, owing to analytics, didn’t miss a single click.
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