Introduction

Founded in 1899, FIAT, a subsidiary of Stellantis, has shaped the automotive industry with its iconic range of vehicles, including the instantly recognizable FIAT 500. FIAT is the biggest auto manufacturer in Italy and one of the largest global car manufacturers.

FIAT is also internationally acclaimed for its vehicles, winning nine European Car of the Year awards — more than any other manufacturer — and consistently ranking for being the lowest producer of CO₂ emissions for European vehicles.

The Goal

For the release of FIAT’s new series of FIAT 500 electric vehicles in Italy, FIAT wanted a sustainable solution that both reduced costs and combined the convenience of online shopping with the personal touch of a live concierge. 

The metaverse is an ideal solution for synthesizing the best of physical and digital. For a company as innovative as FIAT, being the first auto manufacturer to offer a metaverse retail experience to customers was a lucrative proposition.

The Challenge

Most of the current metaverse solutions that are market-ready face significant headwinds for widespread adoption.

Some of the weakest links include requiring customers to own specialized hardware — like VR headsets or specialized gaming PCs. To do more with less, FIAT wanted a streamlined solution that wouldn’t require additional engineering resources to implement.

FIAT wanted a photorealistic experience that used a live video feed of sales associates and did not rely on avatars.

The Solution

To create a digital-first experience with the personal touch of a human concierge, FIAT approached Touchcast to reimagine its customer journey and deliver a real-time 3D metaverse experience.

With Touchcast’s MaaS platform, FIAT created a digital twin of its iconic showroom in the metaverse, seamlessly integrating the FIAT Metaverse Store into the FIAT.it website all by adding just one line of code.

In just a click, customers are transported into an immersive, branded experience where customers can interact face-to-face with Product Geniuses without ever leaving the browser. Touchcast renders a video feed of the Product Genius into the virtual environment, enabling a live representative to support an end-to-end customer journey.

Thanks to a user-friendly interactive control panel built into Microsoft Teams, Fiat’s Product Geniuses can preview the car configurator of the future — empowering buyers to customize their chosen model and explore every feature in a tactile experience like no other.

Facilitating interaction in real-time, rather than relying on descriptions or still images, Fiat Product Geniuses can now deliver an incredible experience from start to finish and help demystify complex offerings – from advanced safety features to charging stations and more. 

With the ability to maximize digital experiences through human interaction, FIAT is empowered to unlock cross-selling and upselling opportunities in a brand-new environment.

Impact

Thanks to Touchcast’s Metaverse-as-a-Service platform (MaaS), Fiat is the first automotive brand to offer a photorealistic, interactive metaverse sales experience inside a browser — without needing to wear an expensive VR headset or visit a physical dealership.

Customers can experience endless options for personalization, from changing the color of the vehicle to exploring different trim options and get immersive demonstrations of key features, like how to charge an electric vehicle. These features were expected to increase session times to 20 minutes per customer, but early data shows that MaaS conversations have already exceeded expectations and last up to 40 minutes.  

The FIAT Metaverse Store opened to glowing reviews from the media, with La Stampa, Italy’s top newspaper, writing:

“Buying a car in the Metaverse… has huge advantages: you don't need virtual reality viewers, avatars, or specialized hardware. In short, a synthesis between digital and physical, in an immersive experience unlike any other: you talk and interact via video with a real person who guides you step-by-step.”

Laurent Diot, CMO of FIAT says, “Touchcast MaaS is a fast and flexible solution that is like nothing else I’ve seen on the market. By fusing the best of physical and digital, we are unlocking a new and innovative way to interact with customers and deliver exceptional experiences.”

To learn more about Touchcast’s MaaS solutions, click here to speak to a representative.