With the launch of the Kia EV9 in June 2023, Hyundai Motor Group, a global brand leading the popularization of eco-friendly mobility centered on innovative electric vehicles, recently opened the SDV (Software Defined Vehicle) era in Korea by launching the “Kia Connect Store.” The store offers FoD (Features on Demand) services that let customers selectively buy vehicle software features, providing a more personalized mobility experience. This analysis examines whether the Kia Connect Store could be applied in Europe, based on its success in Korea.

※ Because this project involves important strategic information, detailed information is limited.

Case Intelligence Summary

Pain Points

A store that succeeded in Korea had to be brought to Europe, with its different cultures and regulations.

Kia Connect Store opened in June 2023 as Korea's first car software store and quickly drew attention with features like Remote Smart Parking Assist 2 (RSPA2) and lighting patterns. Building on that success, Kia considered expanding into Europe, a market quick to adopt technology and rich in cultural diversity. But Europe expects a lot from both technical innovation and user experience, and its cultures and regulations differ by country, making it a complex market. What worked in Korea could not simply be copied, so the potential gaps and requirements of the European market had to be understood thoroughly first.

Strategic Lens

Using our experience building the Korean store as a baseline, we identified the gaps and requirements in Europe.

We used the Korean store that Saltcake designed as the baseline. Its success rested on an intuitive UI/UX where product selection and purchase flow smoothly, and on a D2C experience of choosing the features you need in the SDV era. Starting from that experience, we analyzed CX and UX across the European region in depth. Looking at each region's cultural and technical characteristics, regulatory environment and user behavior, we identified the gaps and requirements between the Korean model and the European market.

Creative Approach

Going beyond translation, we built a localization strategy tailored to consumers’ cultural expectations in each country.

To compete in Europe, the store needed localization, not translation — letting consumers in each country experience a service that fits their cultural background and expectations. We set an application strategy on four axes: analyzing and responding to consumer behavior by country, analyzing privacy and data security policies, designing a localized information architecture, and designing a European customer journey. On that basis we proposed UI and communication strategies that reflect regional requirements.

Delivered Experience

We laid the groundwork for a localization strategy for expansion into Europe.

Drawing on our experience building Korea's FoD website and on research and requirements gathered in several countries, we laid the groundwork for a localization strategy for multilingual, multicultural service. By analyzing each country's regulations and user behavior, we set a direction for the global brand to earn trust in every region. The key was to keep a consistent brand experience while reflecting each country's language and culture in detail. Detailed results include strategic information and cannot be disclosed.