Case Study: John Deere
The Brief
John Deere, as an international brand, presented an Australasian opportunity to be a web partner. Their goal was to get some consistent branding across the members of the group. John Deere wanted to partner in both NZ and Australia with companies that could support the direction of their initiative. Zeevo was successful in being appointed one of six endorsed vendors across the group and only one of two in NZ. We are proud and willing partners with John Deere in the Dealer Web Program.
The Challenge
Our first step was to gain an understanding of both the scalability of the dealerships and the operational challenges faced from within the wider John Deere group. We needed to be able to offer innovative solutions that are understood at a grass roots level as a number of the dealerships are traditional agricultural supply farming businesses. Education was the biggest challenge, helping dealers understand the power of an online presence and how it can both add value and remove cost from an operational perspective.
The Solution
We identified and followed through with three key strategies that we saw as essential to providing an appropriate solution for John Deere:
- We spent a lot of time getting to know and understand the business of farming and farm machinery.
- We listened to the individual dealers about their concerns and fed back to head office suggestions on creating efficiencies and as a result have introduced a selection of new online tools to the world of John Deere.
- We offered solutions that were scalable from template designs to enterprise level solutions including full ecommerce capabilities and integration with existing stock management systems.
By taking a pro-active approach with a direct communication to the dealers who we thought we could best help we have been able to focus on the specific needs of the selected dealers and create solutions that fit them. A key and core philosophy to Zeevo is making the solution fit the client not making the client fit the solution.
The result to date is that we have developed a number of sites by working closely with John Deere Head Office and have developed a partnership that will take us into the future.
Case Study: NZStay.Mobi
The Brief
Mitchellcorp approached Zeevo looking for a mobile solution that would complement their existing online services that they provide to their clients in Australasia. Mitchell Corp are in the business of providing accommodation solutions to a wide range of end users and partner with some 500 properties throughout New Zealand and Australia – in particular with the brands Mainstay Hotels and Golden Chain Motels.
Mitchell Corp's CEO, Matt Standing, says, “We required a quick and efficient mobile solution which would bring maximum choice and advantage to the purchaser with the minimum of fuss and effort. The chance to develop a mobile booking device was a natural progression for the company and it is focused on the brands that we own and license.”
The Challenge
Zeevo already had a long-standing relationship as a technology provider to Mitchell Corp with a real-time booking solution for wholesale and agent clients globally.
However, the challenge with this system was addressing end-consumers in a way that had never been done before – targeting tech-savvy travellers making last minute bookings and capturing customer leads efficiently.
Zeevo identified another key stumbling block to mobile accommodation bookings: traditional online bookings require consumers to provide a considerable amount of information including all credit card and billing details. A booking interface for mobile phones would need to find a way to speed up this process.
Lastly, the system needed to be compatible with the existing booking processes and integrate with Mitchellcorp’s existing API (application programming interface) which was used for existing bookings.
The Solution
NZStay.mobi is NZ's first dedicated mobile accommodation website.
Zeevo came up with an innovative model for addressing a mobile audience. The solution contained a number of key innovations including:
- Compatibility with wide range of mobile devices – the mobile site is compatible with all internet-capable mobile devices ranging from smart phones (such as iPhone, Windows Mobile, Android) down to simple phones with small screens and limited browser capabilities
- Pain free reservations – users only need to enter name, phone number to reserve a booking – the rest of the booking details are taken at the property or users are phoned for additional information
- API integration – with minor tweaks to the API, the system was built using the core Mitchell Corp API, meaning all properties were instantly available on the mobile system
Matt Standing says the following: “Zeevo have provided this solution and we have been very pleased to see them complete the project on time and within budget. Having gone through several test stages we are very excited about this development and see it as another support mechanism for our licensed partners and a great complementary tool to our other online solutions which support the wholesale and travel agent network.”
Case Study: Chevron
The Brief
Chevron Quality Cars are an established car dealership based in central Christchurch with a track record in excellent customer service and an emerging dealership of choice for discerning buyers.
The brief included the following key requirements
- Position Chevron Quality Cars as a first choice dealership to help them drive excellence in an online space
- Not be a me too – be seen as just another car sales
- Utilise latest technologies – Chevron recognise the power online has and how tools can add to operational excellence
- Create an easy user friendly experience – Chevron recognise and pride themselves on delivering the best in customer experience
- Capture customer data – Chevron want to know who their customers are, and more than just a name on paper. They build longevity through their customers
- Interface with existing stock management system catering for both local stock and imports
- Utilise Social Networking as a core element of their online presence
- Be found as a first choice on search engines
The Challenge
- Creating a look and feel that was representative of the companies values without being defined as a me too
- Integration with third party provider for stock management solution
- Developing a site search functionality that also offered options to the customer
- Create calls to action throughout the site to initiate client engagement
- Utilising the right communication methodologies to connect with their target customers
- Creating a SEO campaign that drives business to the site
The Solution
- Built integration tool
- Video voice over and image representation giving a 360° virtual tour
- Development of a “you might like this one too” tool
- Architected the site with easy navigation and clear pathways of direction
- Built a CMS that delivers across the business operationally from CRM through to financial reporting
- Integrated Social Networking to connect with their customers virally using Facebook and Twitter
- Architect the site SEO friendly with an emphasis on keywords throughout the site build
Case Study: Covernow
The Brief
Covernow is a website that allows end consumers to buy warranties for cars and motorcycles and appliances at highly competitive rates. Zeevo performed the initial site build and subsequent redesign.
Mid 2010 Covernow embarked on a major marketing campaign on Sella, a major NZ auction site and required a means for Sella to provide online warranty quotations on live auctions.
The Challenge
The key challenge was architecting an API (application programming interface) that allowed Sella to perform realtime quotation and warranty generation on the Covernow system while maintaining the existing CoverNow architecture and transaction workflow.
The Solution
Zeevo developers built an API that satisfied all requirements and challenges and the Covernow API is presently serving at least 10,000 quotation requests per day while normal site functions continue to exist unaffected by the increased load.
