App, which increased the customer base during the pandemic, has as one of its focuses the partnership with automakers
Sem Parar has had a productive year so far, according to CMO Gabriel Porto, who is completing one year in office. He says that the company has expanded its customer base even during the pandemic, as the electronic payment of tolls and parking does not require the use of cash.
The executive reveals the increase in stores in Sem Parar shop and progress in partnerships, mainly with automakers. We conquered more than 6 million tags. The executive also comments on the campaign that launched Cashback. He says it was the company’s biggest, starring Joel Santana and Supla.
One year as CMO of Sem Parar. What balance do you make of this period in office?
Very positive. It was a productive year, with an increase in features in our Sem Parar super App, an increase in stores in our Sem Parar shop, progress in partnerships, especially with automakers. We conquered more than 6 million tags. And, of course, we did a big campaign to launch Sem Parar’s Cashback. The biggest campaign the company has had so far. To give you an idea, the campaign was attended by soccer coach Joel Santana and musician Supla. The choice of the duo came from the intention of making a campaign with nuances of humor and taking advantage of the already known relationship that the two have with the English language. Joel, for example, became known for speaking his English without any embarrassment. Supla, meanwhile, is also famous for speaking the language impeccably. The story is fun and the viewer immediately notices the difference between the two when talking about cashback. The national launch of the teaser was aired on February 18th and the campaign resonated well on social media and among our customers.
What marketing strategy should the company adopt this year?
In general, we want to continue delivering convenience to our customer’s daily lives. To greatly expand our urban network, so that customers can continue to find and use Sem Parar everywhere. For example, we will double the number of gas stations in 2022 and, to support the growth of the network, we have launched a new version of the Sem Parar Cidade Plan, which offers 24-hour assistance with towing, tire changes, battery recharge, key fob, etc. . We will also expand contact with our customers: whether in the expansion of physical stores or in the greater engagement of our app, in addition to increasing the audience on the web. With regard to automakers, we continue to strengthen partnerships, as customers love to go out with their new car already tagged with Sem Parar.
How much does the company intend to grow this year?
Our 2022 growth forecast is over 2 digits. A sustained growth compatible with our evolution in recent years.
Did the pandemic get in the way of Sem Parar’s plans? Which ones did the company fail to implement?
On the contrary, we saw great opportunities. With the ongoing pandemic, automatic payment, which does not require direct contact between people, has proved to be very safe to protect everyone in the service chain, from the customer to the service providers. With this safety and convenience, this method quickly became the preference of Brazilians. Contactless is here to stay and it’s the numbers that tell us that. At the height of the pandemic, for example, contactless payments with the tag Sem Parar grew by 35% (2020 to 2021). Our customer can use the tag to pay the toll, but also at gas stations, drive-thrus and parking lots. There are more than 4 thousand points of use throughout Brazil.
What are the new business opportunities?
In addition to the growth during the unstable scenario of the pandemic, we also continued to innovate and launched new solutions such as Sem Parar Pay, our virtual tag with which drivers can pay the toll in manual booths, using only their cell phone, and Sem Parar for condominiums , a system in which the residents of partner condominiums can enter and exit their buildings safely, automatically and at no cost, releasing the gates through the tag.
So, there was no drop in the company’s revenue in these two years of pandemic?
Our diversification of solutions and benefits allowed us to maintain the same growth average of the last five years, which has been 15%.
Did the company lose customers during this period?
Our customer base continued to grow, even in the pandemic. If we compare the first half of 2019 with the same period of 2022, for example, we grew 20%. This is the result of our continuous investment in bringing new benefits and services to our customers. We are increasingly present in the consumer’s daily journey, expanding the reasons for using our tag.
What is the plan to modernize automatic payment methods?
Innovation is in our DNA and we are increasingly investing in technology. As we said, Brazilians embraced contactless and this payment method is here to stay. Our goal is to expand the network so that the customer can always count on us to enjoy life without queues. We are in more than 4,500 accredited points, being 2,200 parking lots, 1,300 gas stations, more than 750 drive-thrus and 120 car washes.
Can you cite an example?
The Sem Parar Pay one of them. An innovative solution, developed to bring comfort to drivers when paying in manual booths, whose toll payment is made by cell phone in a contactless way, that is, you avoid contact with banknotes or coins, you make the payment without taking your cell phone out of your pocket. and you can still use it on your motorcycle. When passing through the beaches
toll, just be logged into the app and keep Bluetooth active. When approaching the manual booth, the payment will be recognized and carried out automatically. It is a pre-paid and simple-to-use service.
Is the auto industry already putting the automatic payment device on new cars?
Currently, new cars from Nissan, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Suzuki, Kia and Toyota already come out with our tag on board. We were the first means of payment company to start this partnership format, back in 2019. The most recent partnership was launched in May 2022, with Chevrolet. With this strategy, we have a presence in 60% of the market share.
Many are still reluctant to adopt automatic payment, although the main attraction is taking the driver out of the toll lines. Is the price the main argument for not purchasing the system?
Based on the internal studies we’ve done, the main argument is still behavior change. Some drivers maintain the custom of paying tolls and other uses with cash and feel more familiar with this dynamic. Certainly, with all the digital acceleration of recent years, this trend is changing.
What is the strategy to attract more drivers to the service?
Our goal is always to make life easier for our customers wherever they are. For this, we invest in increasing points of use and in new partnerships that bring relevant differentials to our customers. We increasingly want to expand our facilities to an ecosystem of efficient solutions. Today our client doesn’t use the tag just for toll. We are present in
parking lots, gas stations, drive-thrus and in condominiums, inclusive.
How many automatic payment points does Sem Parar have around the country?
We are present in more than 4,500 points of use and in 100% of the toll network.
In addition to the toll network and parking lots, what other services does Sem Parar offer?
Our customer can fill up using our tag at more than 1,300 stations across the country and still earn cashback with each fill, in addition to automatically paying at more than 750 drive-thrus. More than 100 residential and commercial condominiums in the state of So Paulo also use our access control system. Through our Super App, the customer can pay fines, licensing and IPVA, and calculate the value of tolls during a travel simulation. The app also helps customers find the nearest gas station or parking lot, in addition to bringing together more than 250 virtual stores, which provides cashback of over 15% to Sem Parar customers. And we also have Zapay, a partnership that brings an interesting differential to our customers, who can pay their debts with Detran, all directly through our app.
What are the expansion projects?
We have a bold strategy for this year, based on technological innovation. The objective is to expand our market presence by expanding to more regions, ensuring the innovation of our solutions, offering increasingly differentiated benefits and attractive plans to our customers and increasing our presence in digital channels, for an increasingly omnichannel.