AGC Europe: from a B2B glass business to a direct-to-consumer launch

AGC Europe is one of Europe's leading glass providers in construction and automotive — a business built almost entirely on B2B. They wanted to know whether selling glass directly to end consumers online was a real opportunity. We didn't just answer the question on paper: we defined the solution, launched it on a test market, and coached the team through to profitability.

The engagement, at a glance:

• Evaluate — is there market potential for online direct-to-consumer distribution?
• Define — the value proposal and the minimum viable product
• Launch & coach — through launch, test and measurement, then advise on growth

The challenge: is there a direct-to-consumer business here?

AGC was active almost exclusively through B2B solutions, and wanted to evaluate selling glass directly to the end consumer. Three questions framed the work:

• Is there market potential for online direct distribution?
• If so, what should the minimum viable product be?
• And how should it evolve over time into a viable, valuable business?

What we did: from field study to a launched solution

We accompanied AGC's strategic marketing teams, IT teams and local business units through the definition, design and launch of the solution on a test market — not a report handed over, but a business taken from question to live.

• Customer needs field study — grounding the opportunity in real end-consumer demand
• Market potential evaluation — sizing the direct-distribution opportunity
• MVP definition & growth plan — what to launch first, and how it should evolve
• Omnichannel service design — the full experience from sales to installation
• Proof-of-concept launch — the digital experience live on a test market, coaching the digital marketing team from launch to profitability
• Business case — for further growth and geographical expansion

Why it worked: from question to profitability, with the team

The value wasn't a go/no-go slide — it was a working proof of concept, launched and coached to profitability, with a business case for what comes next. We worked across AGC's marketing, IT and local business units so the solution was grounded in commercial, technical and operational reality, and the team could carry it forward. The whole engagement ran end to end in seven months.