Client
Autoklass Romania
Location
Romania
Industry
Automotive
Collaboration period
2020 - Ongoing
The project kicked off with a deep understanding of the target audience's needs and preferences, ensuring a seamless and enjoyable online experience. As a result, the website is responsive and adaptable to various devices and screen sizes, providing a smooth browsing experience no matter the platform.
HyperSense successfully delivered a unique, tailored website for Autoklass that meets the high standards of luxury car sales and services. By focusing on user experience, responsiveness, and engaging content, Autoklass.ro has become the go-to platform for Mercedes-Benz,Smart, and Honda car enthusiasts in Romania.
Autoklass, a distinguished Romanian company, specializes in selling and servicing Mercedes-Benz,Smart, and Honda cars and light commercial vehicles. Established in 2001, Autoklass is a proud member of the Romstal Group and has grown to become one of the most important representatives of Mercedes-Benz in the country. A prominent company with a long-standing history of excellence in the Romanian luxury car market, Autoklass employs around 500 skilled professionals and generated approximately 200 million EUR in revenue in 2022.
With a vast network of branches, an unwavering commitment to quality, and a customer-centric approach, the company has become a go-to destination for those seeking the finest in Mercedes-Benz,Smart, and Honda vehicles and services. Their dedication to customer satisfaction is exemplified by the extensive network of seven branches spread across the nation, ensuring that their clients have convenient access to sales and service support.
By consistently delivering high-quality services that adhere to the rigorous standards of the brands it represents, Autoklass has earned a solid reputation for excellence in the luxury car market. Its dedication to customer satisfaction is demonstrated through its commitment to providing an exceptional experience, both in terms of product offerings and customer service.
Autoklass Romania operates in the highly competitive and dynamic automotive industry, a market that constantly evolves in response to various challenges. These challenges include changing customer preferences, stringent environmental regulations, rapid technological innovations, and economic fluctuations.
To thrive in this competitive landscape, Autoklass differentiates itself by focusing on premium brands such as Mercedes-Benz,Smart, and Honda. These brands are renowned for their exceptional quality, outstanding performance, and cutting-edge innovation, appealing to a discerning clientele who value the finest in automotive engineering.
To stay ahead of the curve and adapt to the changing retail landscape, Autoklass embraces new concepts like MAR20X – a state-of-the-art showroom designed to offer customers a seamless sales and service experience. By incorporating such innovations, Autoklass remains at the forefront of the industry, providing a customer experience that aligns with the prestige and sophistication of the brands it represents.
In summary, Autoklass’ success in the competitive automotive market can be attributed to its focus on premium brands, innovative customer experiences, and unwavering commitment to quality. By staying ahead of industry trends and continuously evolving to meet the changing demands of customers, the luxury car dealer software created for Autoklass has solidified its position as a leader in the luxury car segment.
Fragmented online presence
Limited online sales capabilities
Inconsistent branding and user experience
Competition and market trends
To address these challenges and needs, Autoklass sought the expertise of HyperSense to create a unified, responsive, and user-friendly website. The project aimed to consolidate its online presence, enable online vehicle sales, optimize search engine visibility, and integrate powerful marketing tools to engage potential buyers.
By overcoming these business challenges and needs, Autoklass has improved its market position and created a platform that caters to the unique requirements of luxury car buyers and owners, ultimately leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Creation of a website for showcasing services, and integration of an e-commerce module for online sales of cars, parts, and accessories. This phase included defining website functionalities, creating a layout and design, implementing search and filtering systems, and integrating real-time service scheduling and test-drive booking.
The addition of document management and order tracking functionalities involved developing a system to monitor order status and notifications, automating the issuance of documents, and integrating a visual display of documents through QR codes. This phase also included implementing a loyalty program and a video call feature.
Development of additional features and improvements to the website's visual presentation. This included implementing a car comparison tool, integrating trade-in options, and adding financing options. Additionally, this phase focused on enhancing the vehicle history display and improving the detailed presentation of individual vehicles.
By adopting the Agile methodology, HyperSense efficiently addressed each aspect of the project while remaining flexible and responsive to the client's needs and feedback. This approach allowed for continuous improvement throughout the development process in creating software that enables e-commerce for car dealerships. The result is a final product that exceeded expectations and effectively addressed the unique challenges faced by Autoklass in the luxury car market.
The Autoklass project leveraged a robust and modern technology stack, ensuring optimal performance, scalability, and ease of maintenance. Below is an overview of the key technologies and tools used in the development of the website:
Backend development
Node.js, a powerful and efficient JavaScript runtime built on Chrome's V8 JavaScript engine, was chosen for backend development. Node.js enables the creation of fast and scalable server-side applications, making it an ideal choice for a high-performance website such as Autoklass’.
Database
MySQL, a popular open-source relational database management system, was used to manage the website's data. MySQL provides exceptional performance, reliability, and ease of use, making it a suitable choice for managing the complex and dynamic data required by the platform.
Frontend development
Angular, a versatile and robust web application framework developed by Google, was employed for front-end development. Angular was configured to use Server-Side Rendering (SSR) to improve performance and search engine optimization (SEO) capabilities, ensuring the website loads quickly and ranks well on search engines.
Deployment and infrastructure
The entire application was deployed on Amazon Web Services (AWS). This leading cloud computing platform offers a wide range of services and tools to support web application development, deployment, and management. By utilizing AWS, the Autoklass website benefits from the platform's scalability, reliability, and global infrastructure.
Performance optimization
Various optimization techniques were employed further to enhance the website's performance and user experience. These include leveraging Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) for faster content delivery, implementing caching strategies to reduce server load, and utilizing code minification and compression techniques to reduce the overall size of the application.
Development and collaboration tools
Throughout the development process, the team used a range of tools to streamline collaboration and project management. These tools included version control systems such as Git, task management platforms like Redmine, and communication tools such as Slack to facilitate seamless communication and coordination among team members.
User account
Users can create a unique account to manage their personal information, vehicle history, and purchase records, as well as access messaging and service request features.
Comprehensive e-commerce module
The platform integrates a robust e-commerce module that enables online sales of cars, parts, and accessories, streamlining the purchasing process and expanding the company's reach.
Advanced search and filtering
Users can quickly and easily search for vehicles, parts, and accessories using the website's powerful search functionality, which includes pre-defined suggestion fields and an advanced filtering system.
Real-time service scheduling
The platform allows customers to book service appointments and test drives in real-time through integration with Autoklass’ service center management system, Automaster.
Automated document management
The website streamlines the document management process by automating the issuance of contracts, invoices, and other essential documents, and enabling digital signing.
Real-time chat integration
Instant communication with customer support representatives, ensuring that users receive prompt assistance and guidance throughout their journey on the platform.
Integrated online payment processor
The Autoklass Romania website incorporates a secure online payment processing system, enabling customers to make payments for their purchases quickly and safely.
Enhanced visual presentation
The platform showcases stunning galleries, videos, and detailed presentations of individual vehicles, providing an immersive and informative browsing experience.
Responsive web design
The website features a responsive design that adapts to different devices and screen sizes, ensuring a consistent and user-friendly experience across various platforms.
Service and test-drive scheduling
Convenient online booking system for service appointments and test-drive requests.
Automated integrations with third-party platforms
The Autoklass website features automated integrations with popular third-party platforms such as Autovit, a leading online car marketplace in Romania, and eMag, a prominent online retailer for accessories and parts. This integration allows for automatic posting of car ads and product listings, streamlining the advertising process and ensuring that the platform's vehicle and accessory listings are consistently up-to-date and visible to a wider audience.
Project owner
The project owner was responsible for defining the project scope, setting priorities, and ensuring that the team's efforts aligned with the client's vision and goals. This role involved close collaboration with both the client and the development team throughout the project.
Tech lead
The tech lead led the technical team and was responsible for overseeing the software architecture, making key technology decisions, and ensuring that the development process adhered to best practices and industry standards.
Node.js backend developers
The backend developers were responsible for creating and maintaining the server-side logic, database management, and API integrations that powered the platform's functionality.
Angular frontend developers
The frontend developers focused on building the user interface and user experience, ensuring a seamless and visually appealing browsing experience for the website's visitors.
UI/UX designers
The UI/UX design team is responsible for crafting the visual elements of the website, including layout, typography, and color schemes, ensuring that the platform's design aligns with the Autoklass brand identity and meets the highest quality standards.
QA engineer
The QA engineer played a crucial role in maintaining the quality of the platform by conducting rigorous testing, identifying bugs and issues, and collaborating with the development team to resolve any problems before the website went live.
AWS devOps engineer
This well-rounded team composition allowed for the successful development and launch of the Autoklass Romania website, demonstrating the value of assembling a diverse group of skilled professionals to tackle complex software development projects.
Fetching and normalizing data from Automaster for online display
Integrating data from the Automaster system required the development of custom scripts and API connections to fetch and normalize the data for seamless online display. The team worked closely with the Automaster system to understand its structure and implemented robust synchronization mechanisms to ensure that the website's inventory remained up-to-date and accurate.
Designing and implementing a custom experience for online car shopping
Creating a unique and user-friendly online car shopping experience involved extensive research and collaboration with the client to understand their customers' needs and preferences. The team carefully crafted each element of the user interface, incorporating features like advanced search and filtering options, detailed product pages, and intuitive navigation to deliver an exceptional online car shopping experience.
Hosting more than 800,000 products in the parts and accessories section
Managing such a vast inventory posed a significant challenge in terms of performance and search functionality. The team utilized advanced database optimization techniques and implemented efficient caching strategies to ensure that the website could handle the large product catalog while maintaining optimal performance. Additionally, the search functionality was enhanced with advanced filtering and sorting options, allowing users to easily find the parts and accessories they were looking for.
Ensuring optimal website performance and scalability
With a high volume of traffic and an extensive product catalog, the Autoklass website required a robust and scalable infrastructure. The AWS DevOps specialist designed and implemented a tailored hosting solution on Amazon Web Services, allowing the platform to scale efficiently as the business grew and ensuring that the website could handle high traffic loads without compromising performance.
Implementing seamless integrations with third-party platforms
The project required seamless integrations with third-party platforms such as Autovit for car ad postings and eMag for accessory and part sales. The team developed custom APIs and scripts to enable smooth data exchange and synchronization between the Autoklass website and these external platforms, automating the posting process and simplifying inventory management.
Establishing clear communication channels
Defining roles and responsibilities
Utilizing collaboration tools
Agile methodology for flexibility and adaptability
Regular progress reports and stakeholder involvement
Increased website traffic
The Project Owner was responsible for defining the project scope, setting priorities, and ensuring that the team's efforts aligned with the client's vision and goals. This role involved close collaboration with both the client and the development team throughout the project.
Improved online sales
By introducing online sales of cars, which were not available on the old website, Autoklass expanded its revenue stream and opened up new opportunities for growth in the online marketplace.
Enhanced website performance
By utilizing Angular with SSR (Server-Side Rendering) for the frontend development, the team was able to improve the website's performance, offering a faster and more seamless browsing experience for users.
Time and cost savings through automation
The integration with third-party systems such as Automaster, eMag, and Autovit streamlined various processes, resulting in time and cost savings for the company. Automated car ad postings and data fetching from Automaster saved valuable resources that could be redirected to other critical business operations.
Expanded product offerings
Hosting more than 800,000 products in the parts and accessories section of the website enabled Autoklass to provide a wider range of products and services to their customers, which can contribute to increased revenue.
State-of-the-Art UI and UX
The Autoklass website was designed and developed with a strong focus on providing an exceptional user interface (UI) and user experience (UX). By collaborating closely with Autoklass and Roland Berger, a consultancy, the team at HyperSense ensured that the website's design and layout were visually appealing, intuitive, and tailored to the unique use case of selling luxury cars online. This state-of-the-art UI and UX contributed to an increase in user engagement, satisfaction, and, ultimately, conversions, further boosting the website's overall performance and revenue generation potential.
User satisfaction
The revamped Autoklass website has received positive feedback from its users, who appreciate the seamless and enjoyable online experience when browsing for cars, booking services, or making purchases. The combination of visually appealing design, intuitive navigation, and responsive performance has increased user satisfaction and fostered customer loyalty.
Ease of use
One of the primary objectives of the project was to create a user-friendly interface that allows visitors to find what they are looking for quickly and easily. The well-structured layout, clear call-to-action buttons, and efficient search and filtering options have made it simple for users to navigate the site, reducing friction and increasing the likelihood of conversions.
Improved processes
The new Autoklass website has streamlined various internal and external processes, such as car sales, service bookings, and inventory management. The integration with Automaster and other third-party systems has simplified data management and improved overall operational efficiency. Additionally, the advanced marketing tools and automation features have enabled the Autoklass team to better manage its online presence, engage with customers, and drive growth.
Enhanced brand image
The state-of-the-art UI and UX, along with the high-quality content and visuals, have significantly elevated Autoklass's online brand image. The website now accurately reflects the luxury, quality, and professionalism associated with the Mercedes-Benz,Smart, and Honda brands, further strengthening Autoklass's position in the market and attracting more potential customers.
Prioritizing user experience (UX) and interface (UI) design is essential for creating a website that resonates with users and drives conversions. Investing time and resources into crafting an intuitive, visually appealing, and responsive site will ultimately result in higher user satisfaction and increased revenue.
Establishing open lines of communication and ensuring alignment with the client is crucial for project success. Regular meetings and progress reports help to keep both parties on the same page, allowing for adjustments and refinements along the way. Utilizing collaboration tools such as Google Drive, Meet, Redmine, and Slack further enhances communication and fosters a productive working relationship.
Identifying potential resource constraints and developing mitigation strategies early on in the project can prevent delays and ensure that the project stays on track. By proactively addressing challenges, such as data normalization and integration with third-party systems, the development team can overcome obstacles and deliver a high-quality product within the allocated budget and timeframe.
Even after the website is launched, it's essential to monitor performance, gather user feedback, and make ongoing improvements. Regularly reviewing analytics data, conducting user testing, and staying up-to-date with industry trends will help to identify areas for optimization and ensure that the website continues to deliver an exceptional user experience.
Employing an agile approach, with incremental development phases and iterative feedback loops, allows for flexibility and adaptability throughout the project. This approach enables the development team to prioritize and tackle the most critical features first, ensuring that the final product meets the client's expectations and objectives.
1
Unifying the online experience: By consolidating multiple websites, the new autoklass.ro platform offers a cohesive and user-friendly experience for customers, streamlining access to information and services across the brand's offerings.
2
Online car sales: The introduction of online car sales capabilities has expanded Autoklass's reach and provided customers with a convenient and accessible way to browse, reserve, and purchase vehicles.
3
Enhanced brand presence: The new website effectively showcases the quality and luxury associated with Autoklass and its products, reinforcing the company's reputation as a leader in the premium automotive market.
4
Improved performance and SEO: By leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as Angular with server-side rendering, Node.js, and AWS, the website boasts enhanced performance, faster loading times, and improved search engine visibility.
5
Increased website traffic: Following the launch of the new website, the number of weekly sessions increased significantly from 12,000 to 23,000, indicating higher user engagement and interest in the brand.
6
Advanced features and functionalities: The website now offers an array of sophisticated features, such as integrated online payment processing, real-time appointment scheduling, and automated integrations with third-party platforms like Autovit and eMag.
7
User satisfaction and ease of use: The revamped website has received positive feedback from users, who appreciate its intuitive design, seamless navigation, and efficient processes.
The development of the Autoklass project has offered valuable insights and lessons learned, which can be applied to future endeavors. The team successfully navigated complex requirements and delivered an outstanding solution by focusing on incremental planning while maintaining a clear vision.
The experience has emphasized the importance of strong relationships and open communication between development teams and their clients. By acting as partners rather than just suppliers, the team at HyperSense was able to provide valuable guidance and contribute to the project's success.
Implementing best practices, such as prioritizing code maintainability, engaging experienced liaisons, and maintaining up-to-date documentation, has made the development process streamlined and efficient. These insights will undoubtedly prove valuable in future projects and serve to strengthen the capabilities of both HyperSense and Autoklass as they continue to innovate and address the needs of the automotive industry.
The development of the Autoklass project has provided valuable insights into potential areas for future improvements and innovations. As customer expectations and preferences change, it is essential to keep the user experience at the forefront of any enhancements. Regularly collecting user feedback, monitoring usage patterns, and staying informed of industry trends will help identify areas for optimization and elevate the overall customer experience.
Incorporating emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and augmented reality, can streamline business operations and further enhance the user experience. By exploring and adopting these innovations, Autoklass can stay ahead of the curve in the competitive automotive market.
To cater to the diverse needs of customers, it is crucial to expand the range of digital services offered. Features such as remote vehicle diagnostics, tailored financing options, and personalized maintenance plans can be introduced to provide a more comprehensive and satisfying experience for users.
Leveraging advanced data analytics tools can help Autoklass gain deeper insights into customer behavior, preferences, and market trends. This information can be used to make informed decisions and drive continuous improvement in both customer experience and business operations.
Finally, as digital platforms become increasingly central to the automotive industry, ensuring the highest level of security and data protection is essential. Regular security audits, adherence to industry standards, and adoption of best practices can help mitigate potential risks and maintain customer trust. By focusing on these areas, Autoklass and HyperSense can continue to innovate, improve, and create a solid foundation for future projects and collaborations. Explore our diverse tech portfolio to discover past and ongoing projects in a broad spectrum of industries.
Describe your needs to us and we'll work together to craft the perfect software solution. Tell us your timeframes, your targets or KPIs, and any critical challenges or difficulties. You're at the right place — our team is eager to study and prioritize next steps together with you.