Digital showroom makes buying a Volkswagen virtually effortless
With the vast majority of car shoppers now starting their research on the internet, it’s no surprise that Volkswagen has been developing its online presence and increasing functionality for buyers. Via the award-winning www.volkswagen.co.uk website, it is bringing together the digital world and the real world to make the online experience as easy and enjoyable as possible for customers.
The company’s latest development is the ‘digital showroom’. By equipping showrooms and staff with iPads and a range of advanced web tools, this closes the gap between the on- and off-line worlds, offering buyers the same experience in a Retailer as they would find on the Volkswagen website, and allows the manufacturer to showcase more models, specs and equipment than would be possible in even the largest outlet.
Volkswagen UK’s Head of Marketing, Rod McLeod, comments: ‘We have an incredibly large and diverse model range, from the up! city car to the Phaeton saloon, and it’s simply not possible to display all these vehicles – even in a large showroom. Using new technology allows our staff to bring the range to life, giving great representations of colours, interior trims and alloy wheels for example, and this is a really useful tool in the buying process – for customers and sales people alike.’
The digital showroom not only gives customers the opportunity to create their perfect car from the manufacturer’s comprehensive range; it also allows them to watch video clips that bring new technologies to life, for example, and use the iPads in the showroom to explore what’s available either on their own or with a sales executive.
McLeod adds: ‘Digital advances are taking place at an incredible rate and we need to keep up. But we don’t want to do this at the expense of personal interactions, which is why we’re not only developing our online presence but also trying to bring the digital and real worlds closer together.
‘As soon as people come into our showrooms we want them to feel that they’re in familiar surroundings. We’re trying to make the experience as seamless, easy and enjoyable as possible and we’re looking forward to making more changes in future.’
Following a successful pilot, the digital showroom is now live at Volkswagen Retailers across the UK.
Article source: www.volkswagen.co.uk