An independent and personal service with transparent charges to make sure customers were aware of the measurably best car choices in their particular search category even if they then decided to buy another.
At least they’d have known their choices.
And knowing the female influence here and what many women think of the car showroom experience, I’d want any such car shopping business model to include female sales staff as an obvious sign of a genuinely female friendly car dealership service.
The Rockar model
So Hyundai’s digital car buying service, badged as Rockar back in November 2014, seemed to be a step in this direction, with a physical store at Bluewater shopping centre off the M25. Apparently 54% of car buyers here have been women and their average age is 39. Rockar also reports that 60% of buying customers completed their car shopping purchase online and later.
Clearly this made financial sense because Hyundai then opened a second Rockar-branded store in Westfield Stratford.
And now Jaguar Land Rover is following suit in October 2016 with the option for customers to buy their cars online or from the Rockar store at Stratford.
Car ‘angel’ experts
This is where car shoppers will be greeted by ‘angels,’ described as ‘non-selling product experts’ in response to changing needs and demands from JLR customers. Now I can’t see what gender these ‘angels’ are to be but I’d guess that there’ll be a significant female presence…
These ‘angels’ will offer advice (about Hyundai and JLR choices) as well as help customers with the in-store car configurators and show them around the display cars. Customers can then complete their purchase on the accompanying website, there and then, or afterwards at home.
The only part of the after sales service that isn’t clear (to me) as yet is how Rockar handles any new car delivery gremlins and/or the car’s future servicing and/or repairs. Inevitably the best solution for the customer is always a local one, with dealers who will surely want to be part of (or compete with) the Rockar model to win as much business as possible for themselves?
All this competition is great for customers of course. Unless local dealerships can’t afford to compete with the Rockar model? Because, as things stand, it looks as if some car manufacturers are competing with themselves to sell cheaper cars to the same audience.
Only time will tell if this catches on, with more brands joining in.
Steph Savill
stephsavill.co.uk
foxyladydrivers.com
This is a Top Ten Automotive blog 2016.