Harwoods revs up digital transformation with DEPT®

Privately owned automotive retail group, Harwoods, has launched an e-commerce solution as part of its digital transformation project led by the UK team of global digital agency, DEPT®. 

DEPT® has launched the first e-commerce site for Harwoods – the trusted retail partner of luxury car manufacturers including Aston Martin, Bentley, Jaguar, Land Rover and McLaren – to compete with disruptive, online-only dealerships. 

The established automotive retailer appointed DEPT® as its strategic digital transformation partner in 2020 to accelerate digital transformation and help it move to a hybrid business model. 

Harwoods CEO, Archie Harwood said: “We’re proud to have brought the prestige of the Harwoods brand customers have appreciated since 1931 into the future, empowering all types of customers to buy a car the way they want to.”

DEPT® created a solution that not only opens a new sales channel for Harwoods but also sets a new standard for digital car buying, streamlining an end-to-end purchasing experience in as little as five minutes flat.  

The intuitive online experience puts the consumer in the driver’s seat. Letting them cruise through the process with a personalised interface and simplified journey, as well as transparent and easy-to-follow pages, pre-filled forms, and support offered along the way.

“Conforming during industry disruption isn’t enough. Instead, we’re helping brands to leverage digital advancements and new design principles to ideate and implement creative solutions that solve business problems and pave the way for growth opportunities” said Brian Robinson, UK Managing Director at DEPT®.

Robinson added: “The future-ready solution DEPT® crafted for Harwoods is a testament to how our teams are pioneering tech and marketing to help brands stay ahead. Driving efficiency across customer-facing and behind-the-scenes operations will position Harwoods to win in the rise of omnichannel commerce.”

Harwoods’ commerce solution synchronises real-time sales across dealerships and online through extensive integrations with CRM and other third-party systems. The newly digitised business model provides Harwoods with an always accurate inventory, as well as extensive consumer behaviour data: the key to unlocking new sales and marketing strategies across its entire brand estate. 

The dynamic and scalable solution fuels Harwoods’ growth ambitions to scale nationally, by opening doors to new markets and digital-savvy customers. Aligning its already-established network of showrooms with the agility to digitally expand gives Harwoods a competitive advantage over online-only automotive dealerships. 

“It was a pleasure working with DEPT® on this project”, said Archie Harwood. “Its team understood how technology is impacting automotive retail, guided us in digital transformation, and created a solution that enables us to compete in the fast lane with entirely online dealerships.”

Source: DEPT

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