Mundomotor EC

The project

This project was a challenge since it was an startup that needed more time than we could give it. Being an additional project to our daily activities, the late nights were constant. We started with a logo, we continued with interviews, meetings and we looked for additional motivation in clients and users.

Look and feel

Within the name of the directory, it was necessary to select a target group, and differentiate ourselves from the competition that might exist. The inclusion of -EC at the end of our name was important, and we also saw it as a starting point, hoping and longing for international growth that could allow us to sectorize each one of the products.

The colors and typography were chosen with the main objective of making something easy to read and with enough contrast to convey the information in the best way. Black, red, gray and white colors are directly associated with the dynamism of cars. The sans serif style typography allowed us a more flexible communication, and we could play with several image and text elements.

The process

We started by bringing together several establishments that would adjust to the services that we wanted to project within a site. We did everything working directly in the field, until a beta version of the site was ready and supported online registrations. The positive thing about face-to-face treatment is that several connections could be strengthened and benefits that would serve both parties could be negotiated.

As the site grew, and evolved, we reinforced our communication with social media management. We also carried out usability tests with several groups that positively returned us feedback with very valuable comments. The site was filled with information, and the first comments from customers and users began to reach us.

With already notable traction generated, the next purpose within our timeline was to monetize the activities in some way. For this purpose we managed to agree on several meetings with companies related to the automotive sector. We made agreements with insurance companies, sales of vehicle supplies and express maintenance and detail washing workshops. We offered advertising space in exchange for greater prominence within the various pages of the directory, and in return we received discounts for clients or payments that covered fixed costs.

The final result

Efforts to create strong and consistent monetization within the site were insufficient, and we found that we couldn’t add that extra twist to differentiate ourselves from many other web directories. And what began as a great idea, was stuck without the funds to make it grow in users and reach a larger target audience.

However, and thanks to the connections that could be made in some investment rounds, our project reached the ears of a similar company, which with the same goal in mind, wanted to get the automotive services spread throughout the city without enough exposure, in the best way possible to potential customers. It was at this time that we had a rapprochement with COdriver, and in a merger, we shared knowledge, databases, and in many additional operating efforts, we included home delivery services with online payments.

With this alliance, several shortcomings were reinforced that were not seen at first, but some additional barriers appeared that did not allow a greater growth of the platform. At a point where the pandemic continued, and with limited funding, the project finally ended.

What was learned

Any undertaking is a leap into the void, and what precisely began as a great initiative, little by little it found barriers and obstacles that were wearing down the initial idea. Perhaps the initial investment, which we tried to be the least possible, was not high enough to get the directory afloat, but even so, the lessons learned in each and every one of the phases of construction and development of the site were the most important.

The knowledge that this project left us has undoubtedly been very important, and the connections that were achieved and the presence on the web, which was fleeting, was very gratifying.