Jaguar Land Rover Europe simplifies campaign management and reporting with the EVEREST application

Using digital technology to develop better campaigns

Campaigns and promotions are an essential tool within retail and a prevalent part of everyday life for consumers around the world. Their effective use plays a major part in the success or failure of businesses in every market and industry. So, when one of the key automotive players in the premium industry segment, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), reviewed its approach to the planning and management of retail promotions across Europe, it decided to significantly modernise and standardise the ways of working governing several millions of Euros.

When the business decided that its decentralised approach to campaign management did not provide enough clarity into the way campaign-related money was being spent, it launched an effort to create and implement a solution that would enhance its insight into Variable Marketing Expense (VME) and the way its campaigns were structured. After selecting Salesforce technology for a new application to support the management of campaign spending across Europe, JLR chose Capgemini as its system integrator.

Using Salesforce to create a single VME tool for all markets and retailers

Together, JLR and Capgemini formed a team including experts and stakeholders from both organisations. They then began to look at user stories to gain a comprehensive understanding of the existing system landscape and the challenges the project would need to address. Based on this review, the joint team was able to draw up a delivery plan that quickly led to the development of the Salesforce-based Enhanced Variable Expense Reporting System (EVEREST) solution. Once JLR and Capgemini had completed the first test-ready version of the application, the team provided a controlled user group with early access.

Then rigorous regression testing was enabled by Capgemini deploying an offshore delivery team at a short notice. By doing so, JLR and Capgemini were able to gain valuable insight into user interest and factor relevant input into the impending updates. This feedback also provided guidance on how the application needed to be updated to fit within each market, helping to create a single, standardised tool that could function across the entirety of JLR’s European locations.

The project team then added targeted functionalities and capabilities to the solution based on the regression testing results and user feedback, in order to support a successful launch across markets. The rigorous testing and user feedback continued until January 2020 and ensured that JLR is now able to pursue further enhancements going forward.

A standardised approach to campaign planning

With the introduction of the EVEREST application and its continual improvement, JLR now possesses a single tool to help manage VME throughout Europe. Within the tool, JLR employees can upload the desired budget for a set period and then define campaigns based on criteria such as sales expectations and existing discounts. The application makes it easier to compare actual costs to expectations and adds extensive levels of detail to the planning process, granting users additional flexibility when scheduling campaigns.

Enabling simplified reporting and administration for retailers

After campaigns are loaded based on particular time frames and parameters, the integration with the ordering systems allows EVEREST to create claims on vehicles based on their configuration and other parameters. By functioning both internally and externally, EVEREST makes it easier for JLR to track the impact and spend of each campaign and simplifies reporting for retailers, who no longer need to track discounts manually and instead are only required to open the sales report and add proof of the transaction before the claim is sent directly to the National Sales Company.

EVEREST allows us to have a proactive approach to actual vs. budget analysis – enabling clear allocation of the VME funds for different campaigns across the quarter. We now have a better overview of our campaign spend, enabled by more real-time reporting than ever before. This visibility gives us deeper insight into budgets that can be reinvested into new opportunities that strengthen the business and the effectiveness of our commercial strategy. Gianmarco Cicuzza Finance Director European Operations, JLR EVEREST now has more than 900 active users spread across ten European countries and manages more than 45,000 unique claims at any given time. Through the application, JLR can now more accurately and easily track sales and spend related to each campaign. This not only ensures that the business can more effectively manage its spend distribution but also gain valuable business insights. Finally, the standardisation across JLR’s many markets and locations has made tracking and reporting even simpler and more reliable.

With EVEREST, JLR will be able to constantly review and consider changes to its retail campaign approach based on a firm understanding of its expenditures and the resulting impact. In this way, the company can design more effective promotions that better reflect sales demand, all while making life easier for retailers and its employees.