Lexus wanted a website that would make it stand out from competitors and position the car manufacturer as a global luxury lifestyle brand. This service-led site would be driven by user-centric ‘Omotenashi principles’ where people felt welcome and enjoyed a great experience. Genuinely cross-platform, it would provide content propositions which extended to other channels to create a seamless story. Finally, it had to focus on conversion with effectively optimised journeys – in short, sell more cars.
Changing the perception of a global car giant
Lexus
Omotenashi thinking
45
Local websites from scratch
38
Local markets
32
Languages
Human focused
Kin + Carta Connect embraced the Japanese ‘Omotenashi’ principle of pre-empting customer needs to deliver a new Lexus website balancing luxury and function to support the visitor at all times.
We adopted a personal language for both words and functional design elements. This brought warmth to the Lexus experience and the design immediately felt more luxurious and captivating. The site was optimised to work across multiple devices with no compromise on user experience.
Experience amazing
The new website served as a compelling reason to choose a Lexus. Animated sequences and imaginative technology embodied the Lexus brand’s philosophy of ‘Experience Amazing’. The language, images, films and signposting used worked in harmony to create a unique and highly effective site.
The clean, contemporary and structured design interface offered clear calls to action and supported the visitor at all times. A pull-out concierge side bar provided easy access to key services.
Captivating content
Users were also engaged by a unique challenge. To become a ‘Takumi Master’, Lexus’s elite craftspeople have to make an origami cat with their non-dominant hand in less than 90 seconds. 'Origami Cats' is a unique, interactive experience inspired by this test. This was more than a game. These interactive tools give the website the same values of exquisite design and technology that goes into every Lexus.
Clear and flexible
The homepage married daring video sequences with a simple, focused navigation. It’s natural and effortless to interact with on any device. Innovative automotive technologies are explained in exciting ways that connect with the key target audience. Signposting was simplified so visitors were always sent to the right place.
Getting to the sale
Core components and templates were fully integrated to deliver a flexible yet cost-effective pan-European retailer solution. This drastically streamlined the user experience as customers progress towards contacting their local showroom. This approach also provided efficiency in deploying campaigns and content updates, as well as in connecting measurement, reporting and optimisation.
The results
The site was built with the capacity for fast and efficient pan-European rollout, which meant we were able to launch 41 local websites in 28 languages from scratch in just over a year with the initial build taking just seven months. As mentioned, the ultimate aim was to sell more cars.
37%
increase in UK website sessions
67%
increase in test drive booking through mobile
136%
increase in users accessing the test drive form
Our site needed to embody the transition of Lexus to a global luxury lifestyle brand. Kin + Carta has delivered, providing a more than solid foundation for ongoing digital transformation of our business, while supporting us as we establish Lexus as a global luxury lifestyle brand.
Christophe Muelemans Communications Manager, Lexus Europe
Learn more
This person knows everything about this case study.
