Analysis of the business environment of Mobility

Industry forces

• Mobility hasn't got so much competitors but «e-covoiturage» (www.e-covoiturage.ch) is the only one direct competitor in Switzerland. In this company, anyone can suggest a car on a trip and people may indicate that he would like to carsharing on the sameroute. In e-covoiturage company, the car belongs to a customer, unlikeMobility, which owns the car (now Mobility has 26000 vehicles).


• To conclude with the last part, Mobility is the leader of small trips (carsharing) in Switzerland and has an excellent reputation in Europe.


• Mobility provides an adapted offer to customer (an adapted car at a personalized time slot).


• The main substitutes services are public transportation (TSOL, TPG, etc.), train companies (SBB-CFF) and car-rental companies (Hertz,Avis, etc.). It’s important to note that these companies are also crucial partners of Mobility. Taxis may be substitutes too, but very expensive.


• About the stakeholders, the government (or federation) is important and influential. Because, they have the power to tax cars or not, to make urban tolls or highlight Mobility that helps improve the environment. Media can influence people too if articles are ecology oriented.


• Finally, the important suppliers are carmakers, parkings, insurances and technologic partners (inside cars).
  

Key trends

• The main important technology trend is the electric car for Mobility. Indeed, car manufacturers are building more and more hybrid or electric cars. This electric technology is needed by clients of mobility because they are sensitive to the ecology.


• In add on the web application, Mobility provides a mobile application (to book a car everywhere). They knew how to make best use of technology trends.


• Last months, the ecology and the environment required a lot of attention (less now with the crisis). For two reasons (respect of ecology and environment), Mobility customers think that using carsharing is to be responsible and respectful.


• Nowadays population is young but less attached to the car because it's very expensive (this trend enter in Europe and strongly affects Japan car manufacturers companies).


• Finally, in geographic coverage, Mobility is very present in towns and less in rural zone. So most areas will be covered in a few years.

Market forces

• Mobility offers four months to try the service. In addition we have read that Mobility have loyal and very satisfied customers (results of surveys). So we think that Mobility has a high switching cost (this is reinforced by the fact that there is no direct competitor).


• About the main market segments, private and business customers are very important. They don’t pay large sums of money but these sums are quite regular (kilometers and time slot payments for each booking).But the segment which consists of other Europe countries or cities is interesting because it can grow in future years.


• The main needs of customers are car safety and save money (if we use Mobility, we save money compared to the cost when you have a personal car).


• About demands, it continues to grow and Mobility reached 100,000 carsharers in 2011.


• To conclude, we have found a risk about government law and protection of environment. If government provides a law or taxes against the CO2 emission, it can be positive or negative for Mobility. Positive if cars are banned in the city but not for carsharing Mobility. Negative if all cars (Mobility cars too) are banished from the city.

Macro economic forces

• Overall, although there is a crisis now, people attach more importance to the ecology.


• The cost of oil may attract more customers (costs become too high) and it may also weaken Mobility.


• About the other resources, we have a big motorway network, a lot of parkings, etc. So Mobility can be used everywhere.


• Last months and with the cost of euros, it can be easier to import cars from Europe to Switzerland.


• Bank environment in Switzerland is good, so Mobility has a possibility to borrow money from the bank (there is bank security in Switzerland).

References

- Mobility website
- Informations about Mobility
- Annual and sustainability report 2010
- Survey about the swiss population (graphic page 7)
- Cost of oil and mobility in Switzerland analysis
- Article about young people and cars in Japan
- Article about young people and cars in Europe
- Article about young people and cars
- Banking in transition – future prospects for banking in Switzerland
- Article about urban tolls in Geneva