Mercedes-Benz India has launched a whole new digital initiative for online sales of its range of cars. Designated as 'Merc From Home', it will allow prospective buyers to not only book their chosen car model online, but also buy it - on the company's website. The service extends to also having the car delivered to the buyer's doorstep. The online offering will also provide on-road pricing information (and not just ex-showroom), a live consultation with an e-demonstration of the car, and chat with a sales executive from what it is calling a consultation studio. The whole studio and online service will go live on May 4 2020 - the very next day after the current Corona Lockdown ends. Mercedes-Benz says its online 'concierge' service will be offered from 10 am to 12 am (midnight, all times IST).
Martin Schwenk, MD & CEO, Mercedes-Benz India, said, "Digital platforms have become an important channel to stay connected with our customers. Our 'Merc from Home' campaign aims at providing a holistic, hassle-free and highly personalised car buying experience on our online sales platform. The customers now can not only explore, select and make online payment for our products and services from the comfort of their homes, but can also get their Three Pointed Star delivered as per their convenience."
The Merc From Home platform provides on-road prices, doorstep delivery, dealer stock and offers
Schwenk also believes that this is not just something for the post-covid short-term. He says that eventually the purpose is to make buying a Mercedes-Benz as easy as buying groceries or ordering food. For Mercedes-Benz customers who expect such convenience that is. And this is not just something the company is looking at in India. Mercedes-Benz expects 25 per cent of its global sales being made through online channels by 2025. The 'Merc From Home' campaign will cover the whole country, and all of the current Mercedes-Benz dealers.
Mercedes-Benz expects 25 per cent of its global sales being made through online channels by 2025
Any potential buyer can now therefore get the details on the car they are interested in, price it based on the variant, trim and personalisation they undertake - and also clarify any doubts with the online live consultation. This way they make an informed decision before putting their money down. Once the consultation is done, the service will then connect the buyer to the nearest dealership, to continue the digital journey with them - so as to facilitate the actual sale and delivery of the car they chose.
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Santosh Iyer, Vice President - Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz India told carandbike, "Frankly, right now we are only setting it up. We will go out with marketing only once the lockdown is over. (And) even then we don't want to push sales. Our platform will also offer full transparency of dealer stock and offers. So the buyer can get all information without any intrusion and then make a "buy" decision at what they see is the right time for them".
Santosh Iyer, VP, Sales and Marketing, Mercedes-Benz India says the platform offers full transparency of dealer stock and offers
Explaining the process, Iyer also added, "The online piece will not happen like shopping on Amazon, where you just go and click and buy, because there is documentation, there is finance, there is trade-in, plus you know consumers want to talk and check about these formalities. So, in the current phase, with this online sale concierge, we will assist customers remotely to do an online transaction, and as the market gets matured, we feel this will completely go into the online mode."
The online platform has already been operational since January this year for sales of its used cars, but Mercedes-Benz is now offering a lot more services for the new car piece. A number of manufacturers like BMW, Jeep, Hyundai and others have also begun pushing their digital platforms for selection, speccing, and booking of cars. But the actual sale and delivery also being transacted online is a first since Mercedes-Benz works with a third party ecommerce marketplace provider for the transaction, so as to satisfy the online retail regulations. Of course the auto industry is only looking to facilitate the buying experience since it will have to find ways to integrate social distancing with the sales process. The current system will likely have to be put off for several months, and so going digital is the option most will adopt. Of course it is early days and we will have to wait for several weeks as things begin to normalise - to see the actual impact of the measures being introduced.
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