[apachelongbow]

Why even bother about brick and mortar showroom then? Why not make everything online, so that a customer can order his/her car, along with features, options, packs etc online, and the vehicle is delivered to the customer's door step.. la Amazon?
That way you can get rid of all salesmen, dealerships, real estate and dealer commissions, may be you can even price your cars a lakh or two lower due cost savings Renault.. now can you provide me with my fees for this bright idea?

[fighterace]

The concept suggests that instead of placing an actual car in the showroom, customers will get product introduction of the car on the internet-enabled television screens and can also have information aggregators for comparison purposes. The digital dealer will store the inventory in a stockyard while reducing the floor space otherwise used for a dealership. This in turn will help reduce costs of the dealer, making the business more viable and profitable.
SOURCE - Motorbeam

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... STOP IT! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA... STOP IT PLEASE! IT IS HURTING NOW.

Hey, will they give me a car if I show them pictures of money?


On a more serious note, this may just be the beginning of the end of the dealership. My prof just bought her latest car online.

[amit_2025]

This is very similar to an "Experience Zone" that Mahindra had set up in some Malls for the XUV 5OO

At select city walk in Saket, New Delhi, it wasn't a kiosk but a complete shop

Definitely do not see an active buyer finalizing his/her purchase decision at these "Virtual" showrooms. More of a marketing strategy to activate the interest of the passive buyer, i.e. get more eyeballs and attention and potentially "influence" the purchase decision

This strategy ain't working for the informed and enthusiast audience for sure

Like someone mentioned earlier in the thread, This is a good move to expand the potential customer base and can Complement the regular brick and mortar showrooms but not replace them for sure

[rajeshsundaram]

Interesting idea. It is more synonymous with checking the car photos (interiors & exteriors) on a website. The only difference is the users / visitors can get the On-Road price instantly. The consoling factor is - Renault hasn't said anything like "No Test Drives". So I believe after "experiencing" the car virtually, leads can schedule a test drive.

My guess is that dealers might be complaining to Renault-Nissan about the high cost involved in leasing showrooms when the footfall is little to nothing (except for Duster). So a think tank in Renault must have come up with this idea just to please the Renault-Nissan dealers.

In the end - this is an advantage to dealers, but disadvantage to everything else.

[arnabchak]

Originally Posted by RavenAvi

Dubbed "Experience Centers", Renault will allow TVS & Sons (originator of the digital dealership concept) to showcase its cars and their features on digital screens, instead of actual cars, for the benefit of the customers visiting its company showrooms.


SOURCE - Motorbeam

Are they serious???
What is wrong with them.
French are considered quirky but then this takes them to an all new level.

Originally Posted by GTO

A car showroom without cars! Which dimwit came up with this idea. Let Renault come to my restaurant the next time, I'll show them pictures of food!

Seriously, the primary reason that folks visit car showrooms is to 'touch & feel' the car. It's in our culture...we love touch & feel. The buyer is usually accompanied by his family members who - collectively - experience the car.

Exactly my thoughts Rush.
I am just when I though of this concept.

It makes more sense to do it this way rather than give a "feel" of the virtual car.
1) Have the showroom in the car
2) Give a 3D experience with all driving dynamics of a Renault(similar to the Smaash experience)
3) For thrills, have a F1 replica to give the kicks!!

BTW, their statement of seeing a car before going in the showroom is a little far fetched though!!
Simply because how many Renaults (other than Duster) do we see on the "so called roads"

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by scopriobharath

.

look at tier 3 towns, where Renault is not so popular. If someone there wants to buy a lodgy / duster, he can walk up to the nearest brand centre and experiece the car and then drive 200kms to the nearest town for a test drive and booking. These digital centres would just provide a feel of brand eperience at one's doorstep, instead of asking one to drive 200 kms for a test drive. These brand centres can also act as a virtual sales arm for the nearest renault dealership

If we read the XUV launch thread, it is to be noted that so many people have travelled a long way to test drive it. I think a brand cetre closer to them would have helped.
])

Since the topic of smaller towns comes up, we should also not forget that real estate rates are not high in such areas compared to renting a showroom in a city centre. Hence, if at all the brand wants to male a presence in small towns, they should open swanky showrooms with enough display cars so that they can convince and gain confidence of customers. Such digital showrooms might work in big cities where majority of the customers are pretty knowledgeable. But in rural areas, it will not make an impact.

Secondly, given the rather small sales network they have, coupled with the meager sales, this will improve things no further.

If at all someone can introduce such a concept in our country, it will be the top four sellers. They have enough demand, enough patronage(for people to move from one experience center to a far off test drive center) and moreover such companies can even absorb the damage if these ideas bomb.

[dozer]

Originally Posted by k_ajay

I can't understand what would have made Renault decide on such a concept idea/presentation from TVS. Difficult to fathom, specially as it is 'without' any cars in the showroom at all and ONLY the digital experience will exist. Could have understood if the digital experience was to 'aid' the presence of physical cars.

Would I consider a Renault car by just a digital experience? Definitely not.

It will be interesting to see how Renault fares with this concept (and how many comments will eat dust).

This is more of a hoo-haa move by Renault isn't it?
No one's going to buy a car without checking it out physically first, and the digital thing just won't cut it.
It's probably an attempt by Renault just to create some hype - make something new + something digital = curiosity + business.
But I don't see that working; not at this day and age. It may have worked, perhaps 7 years ago.
Let's see.

[globemaster]

I am not very sure of the outcome of this move by Renault. Is this already implemented? I am planning to go have a check myself. I hope this will be nice "time pass" on an otherwise uneventful weekend.

I would go to the showroom as a prospective buyer. Then enquire about all the little details sitting at the desk. Finally I would ask them to show me the car which they cannot because they don't have the car. I want to see what actual explanations they might have for not having the physical car around. Once I find something interesting spilled out by a sales adviser, I will post it again for other Bhpians to read and enjoy... I am expecting this to be pretty fun.

[autonarr]

As many have pointed out here, this doesn't make much sense to me either. Or maybe this is the wave of the future and we are all "old school".

I recently bought a Renault Fluence and the reason was I actually went to see a Scala that was being heavily advertised with discounts and other offers. The Fluence was an impulse purchase because after I saw the features available and test drive of an actual car I decided to go for it. If it were a digital showroom I probably would have spent a few minutes there without buying anything and gone on to the nearby Toyota or Hyundai showrooms instead.

[GTO]

*Breaking News* (actually a spoof)

Buoyed by the success of its 'car showroom without a car' strategy, Renault now moves the game a level up. Introducing version 2.0 of the concept - a 'car showroom' without a car or a showroom!

Renault's grit & determination in reducing dealer overheads is admirable. Participating dealers in the innovative new showroom strategy don't have to worry about land costs, as they will be located on public property (parks & the like). There's no need for any costly 'internet-enabled' LED screens either. Dealers complained that the 55" LED TVs were expensive to procure, and ran high electricity bills as a result of keeping them on throughout the day. Renault's solution is to replace them with high-resolution photo frames. The car showroom v2.0 completely addresses dealer concerns, leaving absolutely no room for complaint.

When the French company launched its earlier car-less showrooms, it had stated that:

the absence of the vehicle should not be seen as a negative trait since customers already see the car on roads before going into the showroom for a look.

The open-air showroom take this a step further. Because they are strategically placed by public roads, customers will be able to see plenty of Renault cars whizzing by at the same time that they are admiring those cars in the photo frames .

Dealers are further excited at the prospects of saving costs on the complimentary hot beverages they are forced to offer. Insider sources confirm that locations are being scouted based on their proximity to chaiwallas (tea-stands).


Picture Source

[balajisv]

Well, I actually had to see the date of this article being published. Just made sure it's not on April 1st!!!!

Jokes apart, I feel this attempt from Renault should be to supplement their existing brick and mortar dealerships. This would give a 100% experience of their cars to their prospective customers.

I remember seeing such kiosks (though a simpler form) at Tata Motors dealerships for Zest.

[S2!!!]

So around 6-8 months ago, Renault inaugurated a booking office at Prabhadevi to cater to the South Bombay prospective buyers. This was a tiny little store with a staff of 1 or 2 personnel who sat with the brochures of Renault vehicles, willing to explain the features and schedule test drives of the vehicle. Moderator Aditya referred to this as a 'newspaper stall' due to its tiny size .The dealerships in the western suburbs would later send test drive vehicles for customers.

One fine day in the previous week, this office had been replaced by a food delivery chain. In theory, it was a good concept - located in a busy commercial area, lower cost of land, no parking problem, knowledgeable staff etc. Clearly, this did not translate to a lot of sale conversions because of which the place had to be shut down.

Take Skoda's brand boutique as an example too (located at Bandra Talao) which eventually made way for the Vespa showroom. Maruti too, is following this trend and has plans to set up brand centres at various locations to showcase its technology and premium offerings. No doubt, these initiative will increase the brand recall but does that necessarily result in sales to justify the investment? I'm not too sure.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by S2!!!

So around 6-8 months ago, Renault inaugurated a booking office at Prabhadevi to cater to the South Bombay prospective buyers. This was a tiny little store with a staff of 1 or 2 personnel who sat with the brochures of Renault vehicles, willing to explain the features and schedule test drives of the vehicle. Moderator Aditya referred to this as a 'newspaper stall' due to its tiny size .The dealerships in the western suburbs would later send test drive vehicles for customers.

I'd taken a picture of this awful contraption.

[sourabhzen]

Originally Posted by GTO

*Breaking News* (actually a spoof)

Dealers are further excited at the prospects of saving costs on the complimentary hot beverages they are forced to offer. Insider sources confirm that locations are being scouted based on their proximity to chaiwallas (tea-stands).

Renault must have realized that the presence of their sales persons is anyways not helping in the sales figures, so why not save some overheads.

[scopriobharath]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Since the topic of smaller towns comes up, we should also not forget that real estate rates are not high in such areas compared to renting a showroom in a city centre. Hence, if at all the brand wants to male a presence in small towns, they should open swanky showrooms with enough display cars so that they can convince and gain confidence of customers. Such digital showrooms might work in big cities where majority of the customers are pretty knowledgeable. But in rural areas, it will not make an impact.

Actually - Dealerships are opened with a profit motive. These digital centres / virtual showooms are just to popularize a brand without much investment and thinking about ROIs etc. Also - a dealership needs to be supplemented by a service station / road side assist etc.

Most of the buyers test drive just for fun and the percentage who can judge comfort / clutch hardness etc are miniscule. If one likes the vehicle he would run to the nearest town to test drive and book it. The digital showroom would basically help him with pictures / material and more leisurely time with vehicle's features and strengths, comparison with competitors etc. They might also have some trained folks, whose aim would be to explain the featues and benefits and make the customer happy. Most salesmen in dealerships are misinformed about vehicles and just repeat what the brochure says.