Artificial Intelligence
OMODA reveals showroom visits remain crucial for 76% of car buyers despite digital shift
OMODA showcases its commitment to bricks and mortar as research reveals the car showroom still matters in the digital ageNearly half (46%) of car buyers trust showroom sales assistants more than anybody else when it comes to purchasing decisionsMore than a quarter (27%) of car buyers would be more likely visit a car showroom if it had an AI sales assistant76% of car buyers stated that visiting a showroom is still important when purchasing a carVehicles are up there with a list of purchases consumers would prefer to make in real life, including pets and housesLONDON, June 13, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Despite the rise of digital customer journeys, almost three out of four car buyers still value visiting car showrooms, according to the latest research from OMODA.*
The innovative automotive brand, dedicated to pioneering the future of travel, has commissioned research which underscores the importance of physical showrooms in the automotive purchase process. Most importantly, the research also shows how to bring these into the future.
Among the highly valued features of showrooms are test drives, with 64% of buyers still wanting a hands-on experience with the vehicle. This comes as no surprise; however, when asked what features they’d like to see in future showrooms, 40% of respondents listed virtual test drives.
The research also found that a fifth of UK car buyers would trust a virtual test drive. The most popular options for virtual test drive locations are 72% offroad, 65% on a racetrack and 48% along a beach. Interestingly, some want to go even further afield – 14% said they’d want to test drive a car on Mars.
Despite many sounding the death knell for traditional showrooms, the research shows they still play an important role in the car buyer journey. OMODA is committed to maintaining and enhancing this vital aspect of the buying experience. By the end of 2025, OMODA plans to have a presence in over 100 car dealerships, with a strategic initiative already seeing over 60 showrooms open to customers in the UK.
Designed to be the showrooms of the future, not the past, customers can expect an innovative and interactive experience that redefines car shopping. From augmented reality displays that allow you to visualise vehicles in various settings, to virtual reality test drives, future showrooms will be equipped with the latest technology to enhance the consumer experience. OMODA is committed to creating a dynamic and engaging environment that not only showcases the products, but also elevates the entire purchasing process.
Victor Zhang, Executive Vice President of OMODA & JAECOO UK, comments: “Our 2035 future showroom will be an experiential hub offering immersive, customised and fun customer journeys. The showroom isn’t just transactional, it’s a place for customers to learn about the vehicle in a way that suits them. With our vehicles offering an increasing amount of technology, education is a huge part of the retail experience. Our research shows that buyers still value having a place to visit, so it’s about bringing the showroom into the future.”
The research looked at several areas of the car buying journey. It found that:
In-depth knowledge in demandThe research found that almost half (43%) of UK car buyers value salespeople with in-depth knowledge. This is especially true for those looking to purchase EVs, and 24% percent said that speaking to a knowledgeable expert about their local charging infrastructure was vital.
Pet hatesWhen asked about what they disliked most about the showroom experience, 61% said pressure from sales staff, 47% said feeling rushed, and 46% said the hidden costs (46%).
The future showroomAs well as virtual test drives, when asked what features they would most like to see in showrooms, more than half (52%) responded with interactive digital displays and 48% wanted tech support areas. Over one in five (22%) would most like to see AI / robot sales assistants, and 60% say they would find in-showroom training in car technology useful.
*Focal Data research carried out in May 2024 on 2,000 UK car buyers
About OMODAChery Automobile Co., Ltd was founded in 1997 and in 2023 saw one million export sales plus two million domestic sales. Chery has successfully created several sub-brands with cumulative global sales of more than 10 million units, making them China’s top exporter of cars for over 20 consecutive years. In the UK and Europe, sales will be led by OMODA which has a focus on futuristic compact SUVs. OMODA is committed to design, technology and environmental responsibility, values embodied in their first model to arrive in the UK – the OMODA 5. This model, the first in a series due to be introduced to the UK, has already sold over 130,000 units internationally. Combined, OMODA & JAECOO are the fastest growing global automotive brands, with over 220,000 cumulative sales to date.
For more information, visit our website:https://omodaauto.co.uk/
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MACAU, China, July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — According to data released by the Macao SAR Government, the number of tourists visiting Macao in the first quarter of 2024 reached 8.876 million, marking a year-on-year increase of 79.4%. The average occupancy rate of hotels exceeded 85%. Additionally, Macao’s GDP grew by 25.7% in real terms, the unemployment rate fell to 2.1%, and the median working income of the employed population increased by MOP 1,000 year-on-year.
In the fiscal year 2023 government report, the Macao SAR government introduced the “1+4” strategy for moderate diversified development to foster four key industries. Over the past year, the government has pursued over a dozen investment plans in the science and technology sector, supporting several scientific research achievements with transformation and application prospects.
In the modern financial industry, Macao has leveraged its “free port” status, focusing on specialized finance areas such as bonds, wealth management, green finance, and financial leasing. The bond market and debt issuance have seen rapid growth. Furthermore, the establishment of the Hengqin Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Deep Cooperation Zone has expanded opportunities for Macao’s diversified development. The development plan for the Cooperation Zone includes the construction of the Macao Brand Industrial Park. As of April 2024, the number of Macao enterprises in the Cooperation Zone reached 6,208, a year-on-year increase of 12.3%, and a 33.88% increase since the establishment of the Cooperation Zone. The model of “Headquartered in Macao and operating in Hengqin” has emerged as a new development paradigm for Macao’s industries.
Despite its small size, Macao holds significant potential and opportunities, promising a bright future.
Contact: Yao Shunyu
Tel.: 008610-68994660
E-mail: [email protected]
YouTube link: https://youtu.be/0HKff9CPD1U
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Artificial Intelligence
Revolutionising Customer Engagement with Emotionally Intelligent Customisable AI Avatars
Rapport Self-Service Platform integrates with ChatGPT, AWS, Azure, and Google Gemini to create the first fully customisable and open-ended AI solution for businesses
LONDON and EDINBURGH, Scotland, July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Rapport, the AI platform for emotionally intelligent interactive characters, announces the launch of the first ever Self-Service Virtual Interactive Avatar platform to businesses. Powered by Speech Graphics, the world’s leading facial animation solution for video games, the platform will enable users to create, animate, and deploy their own Virtual Interactive Personalities (VIPs) in a matter of minutes – enhancing user experiences, driving engagement and creating emotional connections.
Research by Salesforce revealed that 91% of consumers who have a positive customer experience are more likely to make another purchase. With this insight, Rapport’s new solution will aim to harness Artificial Intelligence (AI) and immersive technology to meet and exceed customer expectations, across retail, healthcare, education, HR and Marketing.
“Our platform is designed to revolutionise how businesses and individuals engage with audiences,” said Gregor Hofer, CEO of Rapport. “To date, we’ve seen a tremendous impact on immersive learning, and opportunities flourish in sales, marketing, service, and entertainment. With our technology, users can create emotionally intelligent avatars that significantly enhance customer interactions at the point of sale across almost any market sector.”
Rapport Self-Service offers a user-friendly platform that guides users through a step-by-step process to create their unique virtual characters. The platform is the only solution that gives users the freedom to mix and match all components necessary to create, animate, and deploy interactive characters with emotional intelligence, in any language, on any platform.
Key features of Rapport Self-Service include:
Bespoke character selection: Choose from a diverse library of existing characters or create your own using Ready Player Me.Select a ‘brain’: Integrate with major AI providers such as ChatGPT, AWS, Azure, or Google Gemini. Users can opt for an open-ended AI or customise it with specific prompts.Pick a voice: Access thousands of voice options from major text-to-speech providers, available in any language.Animate a character: Utilising Speech Graphics’ cutting-edge audio-driven facial animation technology for realistic lip-sync and emotional expressions.Publish and share: Deploy the avatar anywhere in your digital ecosystem with a simple snippet of code.At the core of Rapport Self-Service technology lies Speech Graphics’ audio-driven facial animation, a proven solution in the video game industry. Unlike other technologies, Speech Graphics employs detailed muscle maps for extremely accurate real-time lip-sync. This approach accelerates the suspension of disbelief, allowing users to connect with the avatars on a deeper emotional level.
Rapport offers flexible pricing options, including a free ‘Explorer’ tier and a ‘Creator’ tier priced at just $0.21 per minute of interaction, with an introductory offer of $0.08 per minute for the first three months. Custom pricing is also available for high-volume users.
To see a sneak peek of the Rapport Self-Service platform in action see here.
About Rapport
Rapport is the leading end-to-end generative AI platform for interactive characters. It automates character animation from speech and other vocalisations.
Speech Graphics
Speech Graphics’ technology produces accurate, consistent, natural lip sync with remarkable full-face emotional expressions from audio alone, saving video games studios significant time, effort and money in realising the highest quality output. Our tools are used across the spectrum of AAA, AA, and indie titles, including Hogwarts Legacy, The Last of Us Part 2, Resident Evil: Village, and High on Life amongst many others.
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Artificial Intelligence
Typeform Delivers Solution to Help Companies Capture and Convert More Customers
Innovations including video capabilities, data enrichment, and AI-powered analysis enable businesses to boost customer acquisition with end-to-end solution
LONDON, July 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Typeform, the intuitive form builder and conversational data collection platform, today announced Typeform for Growth, a suite of new capabilities designed to help businesses capture, qualify, and convert leads to boost revenue growth. The capabilities were designed with growing businesses in mind, providing go-to-market (GTM) teams with an intuitive platform to streamline customer acquisition. Now it’s easier than ever to create engaging experiences to collect zero-party customer data, automatically enrich responses, and harness the power of AI to automate marketing workflows.
“For over a decade, Typeform has continuously redefined online engagement,” said Aleks Bass, Chief Product Officer, Typeform. “With the launch of Typeform for Growth, we’re once again leading the charge, empowering businesses to interact with audiences in more dynamic and personalised ways. This new suite of capabilities consolidates multiple tools into one seamless solution, making it easier than ever to understand, engage, and convert customers.”
Typeform has been on a mission to make collecting data more engaging and enjoyable for both creators and respondents since its beginning, empowering more than 150,000 customers to gather the information they need to grow their businesses. Today’s launch expands on that vision by introducing new features that enable companies to collect data in more interactive ways and integrate it throughout their technology stack. With a more complete customer picture, GTM teams can enhance engagement and personalise every journey, all while increasing efficiency. The innovations come at a critical time, as McKinsey & Company’s 2023 Global B2B Pulse found that 77% of companies using direct one-to-one personalisation observed an increase in market share.1
Key benefits of Typeform for Growth include:
Use interactive, multimedia forms to stand out. Capture more leads with on-brand, hyper-personalised forms that include a mix of text, audio, images, and video. In 2023, forms created with Typeform saw an average completion rate of 47.3%, more than 25 percentage points higher than the industry average completion rate of 21.5%, according to Typeform’s The Data on Data Report.
Video forms: Record, edit, and embed personalised videos into forms to connect with customers, boost engagement, and increase conversion rates.Gain deeper insights with less lift. Enrich data directly in Typeform to better understand customers and streamline customer acquisition workflows, eliminating the need for a separate lead data enrichment tool.
Automated enrichment: Focus on asking the important questions and let Typeform fill in the rest with real-time B2B data enrichment.Data quality controls: Protect the integrity and quality of data with reCAPTCHA and advanced spam-blocking measures.Convert more leads into pipeline. Create touchpoints for all leads and use automation to connect with high-value leads faster. Leverage AI to improve marketing and sales efficiency and effectiveness.
Workflow automation: Automate scoring, routing, and emailing to quickly prioritise and connect with promising opportunities. Smart Insights and Ask AI: Uncover key data insights by using AI to analyse large volumes of data and query data with natural language. “The way Typeform integrates data across sources provides deeper insights than what we’ve had access to before,” said Justin Lubomirsky, Senior SEO Manager, OrCam. “With a more complete image of our audience, we can better customise content, creating more effective customer engagements that positively impact our business.”
The suite of capabilities is available now in the company’s newly released Typeform for Growth plans, providing companies of all sizes, industries, and budgets access to sophisticated marketing tools in one platform. Existing customers can upgrade their plan immediately to gain access to the new features.
To learn more about how Typeform is helping companies drive growth, visit: www.typeform.com/growth.
About TypeformTypeform is a distinctly intuitive form builder that helps over 150,000 customers collect and validate the data they need to grow their businesses. Designed with striking visuals, a conversational flow, and powerful data capabilities, Typeform empowers brands to give and get more with each form. Typeform drives more than 500 million responses each year and integrates with essential tools including Zapier, HubSpot, and Slack. For more information, visit www.typeform.com.
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1 Brailovsky, E., Hernandez, F., Plotkin, C. L., & Stanley, J. (2023, April 13). The multiplier effect: How B2B winners grow. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/capabilities/growth-marketing-and-sales/our-insights/the-multiplier-effect-how-b2b-winners-grow#/
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