Success Story
Vertu Motors Uses Imagino CDP To Rev Up ROI
Our expertise with the realities and considerations of digital transformations enabled Vertu Motors to get immediate ROI from their Imagino CDP implementation.
Industry
Automotive
Date delivered
January 2025
Length of project
5 months
Solution provided
CDP – Martech connector, CDP best practice, Technical support, Customer journeys, Campaign build
Technology
Imagino CDP
Iterable
The Project
Vertu Motors, a leading UK automotive retailer, sought to leverage a customer data platform (CDP) to enhance customer engagement and streamline marketing automation. The trouble was that they’d tried twice with no success. So, to make sure the third time’s the charm, Vertu has done the smart thing. They’ve stepped back, asked the right questions, and assembled a team with the right skills.
The Challenge
After two false starts with other vendors, Vertu landed on Imagino CDP as their platform of choice. Vendor support from Imagino was key in that decision. Still, there were implementation bottlenecks:
- Manual processes: Some campaign development tasks took up to 6 hours.
- Responsibility gaps: Lack of CDP ownership meant the project risked misalignment.
- Undefined use cases: Vertu previously put the cart before the horse, focusing on data structures rather than defining use cases.
- Integration issues: Imagino’s CDP didn’t connect with Vertu’s campaign activation tool (Iterable).
To be clear, these are all common issues in CDP implementations. To quote Chris Penny, Vertu’s Group Programs Director: “There’s no perfect technology for any problem. Everything relies on the relationship on both sides.”
Implementations always involve different tech which means unique considerations, configurations and integrations. That’s not a deal-breaker, provided you’re realistic and properly resourced.
We were introduced to Vertu when it became clear that the project needed a third-party partner with experience in both Imagino CDP and Iterable.
Technical Value Add: Delivering the Integration
We contributed best-practice knowledge to help Imagino design and build a custom connector between Imagino CDP and Iterable:
- Mapped the right API endpoints and data flows.
- Collaborated with Imagino on CDP configuration.
- Built audiences (in Imagino) and branch logic (in Iterable) for targeted campaigns.
- Developed and QA’d HTML email templates from Vertu’s designs.
This enabled Vertu to design and deploy the first CDP use case – service booking abandonment – retargeting customers who didn’t complete service bookings.
We also transferred knowledge (and documentation) to Vertu so they could build independently across Imagino and Iterable, reducing reliance on external consultants.
Tap CXM’s expertise, consultancy and intellectual horsepower accelerate our in-house competencies, make the complex seem simple, and the melee of digitalisation seem manageable. They’ve become a key partner to our CDP enablement and we wouldn’t have moved as far and as fast without their support.
Chris Penny, Groups Programs Director, Vertu Motors
The Results
Deploying the first Imagino CDP audiences was a monumental moment for Vertu. Not only because it meant the end of implementation frustrations:
- Immediate ROI: The service abandonment campaign profits from January 2025 alone paid Imagino’s costs.
- Efficiency gains: Automations reduced campaign build times from ~6 hours to near zero.
- Clear customer view: Vertu now has the best view of data they’ve ever had.
- Reliable data flows: Automated and always-on campaigns are suddenly possible with integrations, suppressions and data flows handled the right way from CDP to delivery.
One of Vertu’s long-term goals is to double throughput without adding headcount. That might have seemed like a pipe dream before. Now, with Imagino configured properly and Tap CXM’s practical, value-focused martech expertise, it’s only a matter of time.
More From Vertu Motors & Tap CXM
NewUpcoming events
From data deadlock to digital transformation
Tue 3rd June 9:00am • Ona Studio, near Old Street
