The Italian subsidiary of KIA Corporation, has partnered with Infobip to reduce the time between viewing an advertisement and purchasing a car. Thanks to an AI-powered conversational sales journey on WhatsApp, the company generated 144 qualified leads, eight direct vehicle sales and a return on ad spend (ROAS) of 40x.
In the automotive sector, the journey from initial interest to purchase is often long and complex. Customers compare models, request information, visit dealerships and weigh up various options before deciding. For this reason, KIA Italia was looking for a solution that could capture the interest of potential customers the moment it arose and guiding them more quickly towards a purchase, whilst at the same time qualifying prospects more efficiently.
To achieve this objective, KIA Italia partnered with Infobip to create a conversational sales experience on WhatsApp. The campaign used Facebook and Instagram “Click-to-WhatsApp” ads, enabling interested users to start a conversation immediately with an AI agent. Integrated with Salesforce Marketing Cloud and Salesforce CRM, the solution automated lead management and the real-time transfer of qualified opportunities to the sales process.
Unlike traditional online forms, users were able to interact naturally with the AI agent, receiving immediate answers about models, prices, features, availability and financing options. At the same time, the solution gathered the information needed to qualify leads and directed the most interested customers to their nearest dealership to request a quote or book a test drive.
The results confirmed the effectiveness of the approach. In just two months, the campaign generated 144 qualified leads, 116 requests for quotes and eight direct car sales. Furthermore, KIA Italia recorded a 53% reduction in the cost per vehicle sold compared with traditional “Click-to-WhatsApp” campaigns.
“This campaign demonstrates that conversational AI can do more than answer customer questions. It can qualify demand, connect customers with the right dealership and contribute directly to revenue. KIA Italia has shown how WhatsApp can become a measurable sales channel, even for a considered purchase such as a car,” said Ben Lewis, Vice President of Marketing and Growth at Infobip.
“At KIA Italia, we’re always looking for ways to innovate. We recognized that WhatsApp is where people want to interact with brands on their own terms, at any time of day. By leveraging an AI agent, we transformed our WhatsApp presence from a simple lead-collection tool into a full conversational experience. The agent provided detailed car model information, answered questions in real time, and guided customers through the decision-making process. The result was a shorter sales cycle and a measurable improvement in both quote requests and car sales,” added Giuseppe Mazzara, Customer Experience & Brand Marketing Director, KIA Italia.
With an average of over 10 messages per session, the campaign demonstrated that consumers are willing to engage with personalised conversational experiences when they receive immediate responses and relevant information. The results confirm the potential of conversational artificial intelligence to transform messaging channels into tools capable of supporting and accelerating sales processes.
