Scouting the Futures of Automotive Retail
Innovation Scouting for Electric Vehicle Brand
Helping an electric vehicle brand prepare for the Danish market through a cultural and experiential scouting mission, combining competitor retail visits with foresight reflections on where automotive retail is heading.
Challenge
Denmark is one of Europe’s most mature EV markets, but that doesn’t make it easy to enter. Customer expectations are shaped by a mix of high digital adoption, strong consumer rights, and a culture that values trust, simplicity, and understatement over hard selling. Retail is not only about product and price, it is about credibility, convenience, and whether the experience fits local norms.
For a EV brand expanding into Europe, the question was not only “where do we place a store?” but how to translate the brand promise into a Danish context without losing its identity, and how to design a retail and service experience that can compete with incumbents while still feeling distinctive.
Approach
We ran a fast-paced, on-the-ground scouting mission across Copenhagen, as well as a foresight study to map the competitive landscape and identify opportunity spaces for a new entrant.
The work combined three elements:
Competitor field research (secret shopper visits)
We visited key retail and service sites to observe store design, customer journey, sales approach, service integration, and the role of digital touchpoints.
Cultural briefing for localization
We translated observations into a clear picture of Danish norms and expectations, including what builds trust, what feels “too much,” how the outdoor lifestyle shapes use cases, and how customers expect frictionless journeys (from browsing to test drive to ownership).
Foresight reflections on retail futures
Beyond the current landscape, we provided a futurist lens on where automotive retail is moving: self-service journeys, experience-led formats, service-as-relationship, and location strategies that blend visibility with convenience.
Outcomes
1) A mapped landscape of competitor experiences
A structured overview of how leading players in Denmark design retail and service experiences — what works, what feels generic, and where gaps are emerging.
2) Clear opportunity spaces for a new entrant
Insights into strategic differentiators including self-service test drives, the role and design of experience centers, and how location dynamics influence traffic, credibility, and conversion.
3) Actionable guidance on brand translation
Concrete recommendations on what to localize versus what to keep as signature national brand identity, with a focus on trust-building, tone of voice, and experience design choices that fit Danish expectations.
