9:20 am, November 30, 2015
BMW has unveiled a new online retail service, allowing customers to purchase a car online in under 10 minutes.
Although the manufacturer has an existing online service, users could only do part of the car buying process on the web, whereas BMW Retail Online allows buyers to purchase a car entirely from home, including configuration, payment method and arranging a test drive.
To ensure peace of mind, every step of the process can be supported by a BMW Genius or a sales executive from a dealership, via a live chat or email.
One reason for this move is the general shift in purchasing trends, towards online shopping. According to BMW 97 per cent of buyers researching their car purchase online and customers are now visiting a retailer on an average of only 1.4 times before completing their purchase. This is compared to an average of four visits in 1998.
Ian Robertson, member of the board of sales and marketing at BMW, said: ‘We are the first car manufacturer to offer a digital sales solution for the entire product range and the full end-to-end buying or leasing process online. Now, the customer can do it all from the comfort of their home. The integration of the BMW Genius via live chat and retailer messaging functions where the customer is able to get personalised support in real time, makes this system unique and a new benchmark for the automotive industry.’
Before its national launch, Retail Online was trialled with nine UK retailers. Having been deemed a success, 95 per cent of BMW UK dealers will offer the service to their customers.
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