Configurator as a tool of marketing communication and its use in achieving emissions targets

The article focuses on the issue of car emissions targets, the advent of electromobility in this context and the ability of cars to use the communication tool car configurator as an element for customer education and as an influential tool in their decision-making. The text presented briefly presents the issue of CO2 reduction to which the EU has committed itself in its Green Deal and Fit for 55 programs, focusing on the response of carmakers and their ambitions for a gradual transition from conventional to low or zero emission alternatives and barriers to meeting emissions targets. It presents the results of the survey on customer awareness of current parameters of electric cars and in parallel brings the results of examining the functionality, structure, and user friendliness of configurators of selected cars, including analysis of this communication tool to motivate customers to buy cars with emission-free or low-emission units in the B2C market.

Introduction

The ongoing climate change of recent decades is reflected in a growing number of adverse and often destructive hydrometeorological phenomena. This has prompted the world community, through the United Nations, to step up its efforts to genuinely protect the climate and achieve the goal of maximizing global warming in comparison to the pre-industrial revolution. The European Union, as part of the world’s most advanced economic entities, is committed to leading by example and has adopted very ambitious plans in many areas of environmental protection. An integral part is the area of greenhouse gas emissions. Road transport has been defined as one of the major sources of emissions, so a gradual reduction strategy has been adopted in this area. One of the main components is the emission standards for road transport, which have set standards for car manufacturers in recent decades. The discussion on the current emission standard and the requirements for maximum portfolio emissions led the manufacturer to declare individual corporate goals to expand the production of cars with zero-emission or low-emission units at the expense of conventional internal combustion engines.
The Covid 19 pandemic has complicated these efforts in several ways. Supply-supply chains have been disrupted, mining of some minerals used in the automotive industry has been reduced, transport problems have arisen, especially maritime, and the production of essential car components has been reduced, with a dominant shortage in chips. Unfortunately, before the post-pandemic times were able to restore supply and demand chains and solve the above problems, a war broke out on the European continent, when the Russian Federation invaded the sovereign state in its neighbourhood Ukraine, which is an important link in the automotive chain.
Despite these negatives, the pandemic was the engine of the development of new communication platforms and the shift to a higher level of already established communication platforms. Restrictions in the form of closing the store have multiplied the number of customers who have adopted the new way of selling. In the automotive sector, it is mainly a virtual car configurator not only to replace a car show visit, but also as a marketing communication tool that can motivate car buyers to behave in accordance with the carmaker’s goals for a growing share of zero-emission and low-emission cars in the portfolio. and at the same time can be used as a tool of education.

EU action to reduce CO2 emissions

The Green Deal for Europe can be considered a key tool for the EU to promote its position as a world leader in reducing the environmental impact of human activities. The starting point is the transformation of a resource-efficient economy with the aim of achieving zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, with € 1.8 trillion in support (Europa.eu 2022).
Proposals to revise and update legislation and proposals for new measures in the Fit for 55 packages are elaborated in more detail. The intention is to create a framework for achieving climate goals under conditions of fair and socially balanced economic transformation, maintaining, and strengthening the innovation and competitiveness of industry, practicing a level playing field with non-EU countries, including developing countries and finally supporting EU leadership in climate protection policy (Europa.eu 2022).
Emission standards in transport are very ambitious, as the tightened CO2 emission standards are aimed at reducing them by zero at 2035, which is linked to the plan to not place passenger cars and vans with a conventional internal combustion engine on the market. Individual carmakers are motivated to structure the portfolio when they meet the given parameters on behalf of the Group (Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council 2021). It follows from the above that carmakers must carefully consider which models to put on sale, respectively what types of aggregates will equip the cars with.
As a supporting tool, the Incentive mechanism for zero-and low-emission vehicles (ZLEV) is introduced, which is to motivate manufacturers to replace cars with conventional engines and low-emission or emission-free aggregates as much as possible. It is a super-credit system for passenger cars with emissions of less than 50 g CO2 / km. Conversely, if the Group’s emission limit is exceeded, it will be penalized with a fine of EUR 95 for each g / km by which it exceeds the target and the fine will be tied to each newly registered car (Europa.eu 2022).

Commitment of automobile producers

Shortly after the publication of climate targets in the automotive sector, many automakers came up with a statement declaring the group’s targets for the share of electric cars in the product portfolio. However, the obligations of carmakers will not be so easy to meet. An example is the head of the VW Group, Herbert Diess, who stated that for a 50% share of electric cars, he would need six giga factories to produce batteries (Smutný 2022). Nevertheless, the group is doing well in electromobility and thus holds the lead in the sale of electric cars (Hybrid.cz 2022). Mercedes intends to accelerate the introduction of electric cars and is postponing the launch of selected models to 2024 and 2025 a year earlier. Volvo also wants to move to full mobility by the end of 2030 (ČTK 2022). In addition to the VW Group, other world carmakers are announcing their ambitious plans. Toyota has committed to moving completely clean Europe in Europe since 2035 and intends to invest CZK 800 billion in this transformation. The development of a hydrogen aggregate is also a part of it. Tesla, Hummer, Ford, and Rivian (Kinkor 2021) compete in this area on the American continent.
Undoubtedly, one of the problematic aspects of the emission targets in the automotive sector is the coverage of a sufficiently dense network of charging stations. Erik-Mark Huitema, CEO of the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, declares that of today’s 200,000 charging stations located in Europe, a network with a capacity of 1 million public charging stations would need to be completed by 2024 and another 3 million by 2029 to saturate the needs of the owners of the planned number of electric cars in transport (Baroch 2022).
According to the renowned think-tank Influence Map, most automotive concerns will have major problems meeting their emissions targets by the first turning point of 2030. A total of 11 of the carmakers assessed according to research have built production programs that are not fully in line with the targets. An exception is the carmaker Tesla, which, however, does not solve this problem, as it does not produce cars with internal combustion engines (Čermák 2022).

Configurator as a marketing communication tool

Within the presented research, it was found that the configurator is the so-called first choice for more than a third of customers immediately after the start of the purchase process, i.e., when the customer identifies the problem, here the need to buy a new car, in the information search phase (Jakubíková 2013).
Product customization is one of the most important factors by which a company, resp. The car manufacturer can differentiate itself from its competitors and at the same time gives customers the opportunity to adapt the demanded product to the most preferred requirements and needs. In contrast to the limits of the standard offer of mass-produced production, because it can affect a larger number of potential customers (Štědroň et al. 2018). Sousa and Da Silvera (2019) within the mass customization strategy define the classification framework, namely Design, Production, Assembly, Additional custom work, Additional service, Packaging, and distribution and finally Applicability. The car configurator thus represents a platform for the above. Most automakers today provide configurators, on two basic levels. Firstly, a configurator designed for car showrooms, and secondly, a configurator available directly from the manufacturer’s website. It is a typical software tool for bulk customization. Based on the interactive application form, it enables customization of the intended car model based on gradually selected requirements according to the customer’s preference, with the possibility of arbitrarily changing and adjusting the car parameters within the entire configuration process. The result is a clearly defined product by the customer (Leclerq, Cordy, Dumas and Heymans 2018). The basic element of configurators is product modelling based on integrated descriptions of a wide range of individual product components, which are assembled into the final product after each operation using predefined sets of modules (Blecker and Friedrich 2005; Blecker et al. 2005).
The importance of this tool has grown dynamically, mainly due to the restrictions resulting from the corona crisis in 2020 and 2021. After closing the deals, the configurator became a crucial communication tool for customers. This fact also led to the modification of the used SW and their moving to a higher level, including the implementation of advanced 3D graphics to display the required car models as reliably as possible, as these attributes clearly lead to the perception of the overall configurator level (Lafont et al. 2020).
The pandemic period brings a whole new level, namely a virtual showroom, where you can view cars, use videos and audio files that provide product information. Despite the return to normal sales after the end of pandemic restrictions, this trend cannot be stopped, and carmakers admit that they will continue to work with and develop this new sales and communication tool (Keményova 2021; Palochko 2020).

Methodology

The first set of data is based on an extensive survey within a grant project focused more comprehensively on the issue of emission targets and electromobility.
To obtain data, the method of questioning in the form of a questionnaire survey carried out by a renowned research agency in the course of 2021 was chosen, while a representative sample of 400 respondents was contacted. For the purpose of this paper, the part of the survey focused on finding out the level of awareness regarding the properties and characteristics of cars with electric or hybrid drive, as well as to find out to what extent misconceptions about electromobility are rooted in the population. The survey used classification criteria, namely age, gender, education, income level and the size of the municipality where the respondents live. The aim of the presented part of the research was to identify other barriers besides the price preventing more drastic expansion of low-emission and zero-emission cars within the natural change of vehicle fleet, to find out whether and in what form inaccurate or misleading ideas about electromobility are widespread in public space.
The second set of data is based on the examination and subsequent analysis of automotive configurators of selected carmakers to determine whether carmakers use this marketing communication tool to educate customers in electromobility and hybrid vehicles, whether they motivate customers to buy zero-emission and low-emission vehicles and finally, whether they are making full use of the potential of this communication tool. For this purpose, a total of 6 configurators were examined in the first research survey and 4 configurators in the second survey. This part of the data collection involved master’s degree students who were part of the grant project, and the partial results were presented in their final theses (Master thesis). The aim of this part of the survey was to find out whether or how carmakers use the configurator communication tool to educate and motivate customers to buy low-emission and zero-emission cars in meeting emission targets and to find out what customers lack in the functionality of configurators.

Results

First, data are presented concerning the respondents’ attitudes to the issue of CO2 emissions generated by road transport, then attention is focused on awareness of the characteristics of electric cars and hybrid vehicles, including inaccurate or misleading information. Furthermore, the results of two surveys focused on automotive configurators from the perspective of their user friendliness, the use of educational and motivational functions in connection with electromobility are presented.
About 65% of respondents agree with the statement that road transport is a significant source of CO2 emissions, while 32% are not convinced of this. There was a difference between the attitudes of men and women, with women agreeing with the statement in 72% of cases and men in only 58%. A similar difference in the view of the issue can be observed with the growing level of education, where 70% of universities agree compared to 59% of secondary schools. Another difference was identified within the age groups, when the group of respondents aged 18 to 25 identifies most with this premise. With the increasing age of the respondents, the belief in the truth of the statement decreases.
A total of 65% of respondents agree with the need to reduce CO2 emissions from road transport due to climate change. On the contrary, 29% of respondents do not perceive this need. There is no significant difference in the answers between men and women, men agree in 64% and women in 66%. The different attitude is mainly due to age and level of education. University educators consider reducing emissions to be a necessity in 70% of cases. In terms of age groups, the need to reduce emissions is most perceived by the 45-54 age group, in 70% of cases.
55% of respondents agree that the production of batteries has a greater negative impact on the environment than CO2 emissions, while 34% of respondents do not share this statement. There is a more significant difference between women and men in this question. 65% of men agree with the statement, while only half of women agree. It is similar when distinguishing answers according to the level of education. Less than half of the university educated agree with the statement compared to respondents without a high school diploma, of which 60% agree with the statement.
83% of respondents agree with the idea that the operation of electric cars and hybrid vehicles is quieter and thus has a lower negative impact on the environment in terms of noise compared to cars with a conventional engine, thus placing the question among the least differentiated.
The same is true of the claim that driving an electric car is comparable to a conventional car equipped with an automatic transmission. That is almost three quarters of the positive answers.
The question concerning the charging time of the electric car or hybrid car was intended to reveal the respondents’ awareness of fast charging. The results show that 59% of respondents agree that charging cannot take place in less than 30 minutes. In contrast, 31% disagreed with the statement and 10% could not answer. In the case of men and women, there is almost no difference in the view of charging speed, otherwise it is the case for individual age groups. Only 48% of respondents favour this statement in the 18-25 age group. With increasing age, the proportion of those who agree up to 73% in the age group 65+ increases. Similar, but not so significant is the different view according to the level of education, where university-educated respondents agree with the statement to a lesser extent than people with basic education and training.
A very similar attitude can be observed in another claim that no electric car is able to travel more than 200 km on a single charge. On the contrary, a total of 58% of respondents agree that 34% consider the statement to be untrue. There is a more significant difference between the youngest and oldest age cohort. Only 43% of respondents 18 to 25 agree, compared to 62% of positive answers in the case of respondents 65+.
In the case of electric cars or hybrid cars, 60% of respondents are convinced of lower total operating costs, while 34% do not think so. Here, the answers do not differ in principle either for men or women or in different age cohorts. No difference in answers was found between the individual levels of education of the respondents.
More than half of respondents (52%) believe that electric cars and hybrid cars generally have a lower top speed than conventional cars.
The table below shows an overview of technical and technological elements that are important for respondents to decide on the purchase of an electric car or hybrid car.

Table 1: Preferences of technical-technological parameters
Source: Author

The table shows that the most popular element is the development of such a charging technology that would allow charging the car in the place of residence without the need to own a garage, i.e., the ability to charge from the socket even in the case of motorists living in apartment buildings. With a significant distance, the development of technologies enabling an increase in range, resp. shorten battery charging time. Enabling a higher top speed is marginal in this perspective.
A summary of the most important problems on the one hand and benefits on the other is presented in the form of TOP 10, resp. TOP 8 in the following tables.

Table 2: TOP 10 problems and disadvantages of electromobility
Source: Author

The most significant barrier for consumers can clearly be the higher purchase price compared to a similarly powerful car with a conventional drive and insufficient coverage by charging stations. This is followed by comparable concerns about the high cost of replacing the battery, charging time and travel time after charging. Furthermore, consumers perceive the impact of battery production and disposal on the environment as a problem, and finally, more than half of the respondents perceive the possible spontaneous combustion of batteries as a risk.

Table 3: TOP 8 benefits of electromobility
Source: Author

The benefits that are undoubtedly part of the customer’s motivation to buy an electric car are mostly balanced in terms of the perception of significance, with the first seven perceiving their significance by over 80% of respondents. However, regarding the benefit in the form of the possibility of recharging from the so-called socket, it should be noted that this is a potential benefit, as is the case with a state subsidy when purchasing an electric car. At present, this topic is not the subject of political debate in the Czech Republic. However, it is clear from the degree of significance that an appropriate form of support for electromobility, following the example of selected EU countries, would likely have an impact on purchasing decisions.
These data generate areas that need to be addressed when communicating with the customer and his education by car manufacturers to dispel unfounded customer concerns, better communicate technical parameters and motivate customers to prefer zero-emission and low-emission cars in line with their own emissions targets. These are the areas:
• Charging technology
• Range
• Self-igniting batteries
• Battery life

Although the issue of the density of the network of charging stations is not the responsibility of car manufacturers, attempts have already been made for a strategic partnership between the carmaker and the electricity distributor in offering a bonus for the customer in the form of building a charging station. However, this form is predominantly applicable to homeowners. Solutions must be sought for apartment buildings.
The situation is similar in the case of a subsidy for the purchase of an electric car. Carmakers have a limited number of price advantage tools. Ensuring accessibility for a wider range of customers cannot be achieved without the inherence of the state.
The following text presents the data obtained by analysing the configurators of selected carmakers to evaluate how the educational and influencing / motivational functions of the configurator are used, whether they include the areas of interest presented above and whether carmakers use this tool effectively from the perspective of meeting emission targets.
The first survey was conducted on a sample of 76 respondents. For the purpose of representativeness, a deliberate selection was chosen (representation of men and women, car owners and non-car owners, equal representation according to age cohorts, persons with experience with the configurator and persons without previous experience). The survey took the form of inquiries in combination with previous testing of configurators. Each respondent first tested the given part of the configurator according to predetermined instructions and criteria, recorded the result and then entered it into the answer. The configurators were evaluated from four perspectives, namely design and graphic level, selection systems, clarity of the display and overall user friendliness.
The design of the configurator, graphic level and 3D display were evaluated based on general rules of graphics, work with colours and fonts and the degree of approximation to the reality of the displayed parts, including 3D models and visualization solutions. The selection systems in the individual categories were evaluated according to the number of steps that need to be taken to achieve a defined configuration, including the assessment of logical continuity. Transparency was evaluated according to the time required for orientation and according to the content. Finally, the overall user friendliness was evaluated according to ease of orientation, logical sequence, ease of use and degree of intuition. The subject of the research were configurators of six car brands, namely Škoda, Peugeot, Hyundai, Ford, VW, Fiat.
Areas of evaluation:
• Overall design and level of graphic design
• Level of 3D model rendering
• Model selection system
• Basic equipment selection system
• Colour selection system
• Optional equipment selection system
• Clarity of AEV configuration, including educational component
• Clear configuration summary
• Clarity of offered financial services and possibilities of financing the purchase of a car
• Overall user friendliness of the configurator

The data obtained were arranged by ranking, with the best ranking being rated 1 and the worst being rated 6 in each rated category. The table below shows the final ranking based on the sum of the placements in each category.

Table 4: Ranking of configurators
Source: Author according to France (2021)

The results show that the distance between the first and second, respectively. the second and third placements are comparable. The difference between the third and fourth, respectively. the fourth and fifth, respectively, is a minimum of 1 point. A higher distance can then be observed between the fifth and last configurator in the order of evaluation.
Regarding the focus of the text on electromobility, the following table shows the evaluation in the category of electromobility.

Table 5: Clarity of AEV configuration, including educational component
Source: Author according to France (2021)

The overview shows that the best solution for the functionality of configurators in the field of electric cars is provided by Fiat, which emphasizes the Fiat 500 model in particular. Hyundai came in last, which can be considered surprising given the wide range of electric cars of this brand. However, especially in the field of education, the researched configurators have untapped potential.
The second research of automotive configurators is based on a combination of focus group methods to define the key evaluation criteria for the configuration of emission-free, resp. low-emission vehicle and determining their weights. The output is the definition of evaluation criteria, which are used to evaluate the examined configurators. The criteria are divided into two groups:
• Criteria evaluation form – access to the configurator from the carmaker’s website, the possibility of filtering models on the home page, the logic of the sequence of configuration steps, the support of the configurator in mobile devices
• Content evaluation criteria – presentation of basic technical data, offer of accessories for electric cars, level of education

In connection with electromobility, the focus group also resulted in the most important items for the selection of electro mobiles
• Range of the electric car in different weather and temperature conditions
• Car power and battery capacity
• Charging type and speed
• Additional equipment in the form of a portable charger, wall charger and battery energy storage
A significant partial output is the requirement for a higher level of education in the field of electromobility, but in such a form that there is no information overload.
Configurators of Škoda, VW, Hyundai and Peugeot cars were chosen for the evaluation. The order according to the weighted point evaluation of education in the field of clean mobility, the display of key technical data and the offer of accessories in the field of clean mobility are shown in the table below.

Table 6: Evaluating the configurator in clean mobility
Source: Author according to Kozel (2021)

The VW brand is the best from this perspective, followed by Peugeot, the third is the Škoda brand and the last is the Hyundai brand. When comparing the results using the weighted values with the results obtained without assigning the weights found in the first survey, a difference in the swapping of the second and third placements can be identified. The VW brand is the best in both cases, while the Hyundai brand gets the lowest rating in both surveys.
The results of both surveys are in principle in agreement regarding the identified shortcomings in the specification of technical parameters, especially the range in different conditions, the range of accessories and finally in the field of customer education.

Conclusion

Achieving the set climate goals and fulfilling the role of a world leader in this area is not conceivable without fulfilling one of the partial, but essential areas, namely in reducing emissions. Although road transport is not the only polluter, it has a significant share in total CO2 production. Aware of this, the EU’s long-standing effort to use emission standards is to motivate carmakers to make the greatest possible development and innovation efforts to produce advanced aggregates with ever-decreasing emissions, but while maintaining performance so as not to reduce utility value. customers. As part of the adoption of the Green Deal and the Fit for 55 documents, it is no longer enough to develop better combustion systems for conventional engines, but that a massive introduction of zero-emission cars or low-emission so-called hybrids is necessary. How carmakers are doing, whether they are making full use of the potential of configurators, etc. There are some obstacles associated with electromobility that carmakers themselves cannot overcome, and greater involvement of individual states will be necessary. This applies to a sufficient density of charging points. Most carmakers have set relatively ambitious goals for the gradual replacement of conventional cars, especially electric cars. At the same time, however, it is necessary to work with customers, preparing them for a massive transition to electromobility. Related to this is the use of appropriate communication tools to educate customers, to dispel their concerns and to eliminate as much as possible inaccurate and misleading information about electromobility. Undoubtedly, one of the most dynamically developing tools that is very suitable for this purpose is the automotive configurator. The results of the surveys show that customers are worried about electromobility, they are bothered by the lack of stated technical specifications, insufficient diversity of additional accessories. The potential of configurators in the field of education, which has not yet been fully utilized, has been identified. In conclusion, it can be stated that in the implementation of changes in the car portfolio consisting in the assumption of a massive onset of electromobility, it will be necessary for the automotive configurator to use all possible advanced functionalities to support customer motivation to buy and educate.

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Kľúčové slová/Key words

automobile configurator, emission targets, electromobility
automobilový konfigurátor, emisní cíle, elektromobilita

JEL klasifikácia/JEL Classification

M11, M19, M31

Résumé

Konfigurátor jako nástroj marketingové komunikace a jeho využití při dosahování emisních cílů

Článek je zaměřen na problematiku emisních cílů automobilek, nástup elektromobility v této souvislosti a schopnosti automobilek využívat komunikační nástroj konfigurátor vozů jako prvek pro edukaci zákazníků a jako vlivový nástroj při jejich rozhodování. Předložený text stručně představuje problematiku snižování CO2, ke kterému se zavázala EU ve svém programu Green Deal a Fit for 55, soustředí se na reakci automobilek a jejich ambice postupného přechodu od konvenčních motorů k nízkoemisní či bezemisní alternativě a bariéry při plnění emisních cílů. Představuje výsledky šetření týkající se obeznámenosti zákazníků o soudobých parametrech elektromobilů a paralelně s tím přináší výsledky zkoumání funkcionalit, struktury a uživatelské přívětivosti konfigurátorů vybraných automobilek včetně analýzy využívání tohoto komunikačního nástroje při motivaci zákazníků k nákupu vozů s bezemisními či nízkoemisními agregáty na B2C trhu.

Recenzované/Reviewed

20. May 2022 / 3. June 2022