Keeping Up with the Times: Search for New Car Using Smartphone App and Apple Watch

Brunswick - July 08, 2016 : fme AG has developed an app for smartphones featuring the WatchKit extension for its long-time customer Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft. This new app delivers a whole new shopping experience for people being in the market for a car, who now have access to the full inventory of Volkswagen vehicles right there on their wrist. Users receive a message that appears on their Apple Watch when a car is found that matches their search criteria.

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Would you like more information? Please contact Tina Lenitzki at +49 531-23854-0 or send an e-mail to t.lenitzki@fme.de.de

Die Autosuche, the vehicle search app developed by fme for iPhones with the WatchKit extension, brings together innovative technologies and new products. “With our expertise in digitization, it was a really exciting project for us from day one. The app is a new whole way for prospective buyers to find their dream car. It provides proactive support in the form of messages and displays vehicles that match the user’s previous search criteria. The standard agile software development approach taken by fme made it possible to identify bugs and flaws in the app at an early stage and eliminate them quickly. This strategy has helped allow us to respond to customer requirements more flexibly and reduce development times,” says Moritz Rosin, Managing Consultant at fme AG, who oversaw the project.

A core component of the iPhone app is the search engine used to configure the search for vehicles from sources like the inventory of new, used, and previous year’s models on the platform. The search engine sends a message to the Apple Watch whenever a new match is found. The vehicle’s detailed specs are shown on a page optimized for display on the Apple Watch’s small screen. This page includes a photo and key information about the car. The user can save the vehicle, plan the route to the dealer, or display the full detailed view on the iPhone.

The German-language app can be downloaded on the iTunes store.

Optimized for smartphones, the vehicle search app offers a modern, intuitive user interface. Users enter their search criteria on the search screen and are then immediately shown a clearly arranged list of matches. They have the option to view the vehicle’s details, save the vehicle to their favorites, share it, and much more.

“We are pleased that Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft chose us to design and implement the app as well as manage the project. The high-tech, efficient vehicle search app, which is available to their customers now, is keeping up with the times,” adds Moritz Rosin.

About fme

Digitalization enables new ways of dealing with existing businesses and creates totally new business models. We believe in the opportunities of digital transformation and love to help our clients worldwide maintain and create competitive businesses with business consulting and technology services. Our devoted consultants optimize or challenge our clients’ business models through existing and new technologies and advise them on the necessary cultural change in their company. Cloud, Business Intelligence, Collaboration and Enterprise Content Management technologies in combination with custom software development and the ability to operate our clients’ systems 24×7 help us to add value to our clients’ transformation process.

The industry focus lies on solutions for life sciences, industrial manufacturing and financial services. To this effect, we provide vendor independent consulting services. Our teams in Germany, the United States and Romania are experienced in managing global projects and also grant access to our cost-effective near-shore resources where advisable.

For 25 years, renowned corporations like Boehringer Ingelheim, BMW, CSL Behring, Debeka, EagleBurgmann, Merck, Sanofi-Aventis, Volkswagen and Volkswagen Financial Services have relied on our experience and competence. We are a privately held company and have enjoyed uninterrupted and profitable growth over the years resulting in a comfortable shareholder equity rate.