Since the advent of online banking and digital retailers such as Amazon and eBay, you can now get almost anything you can think of delivered to wherever you are with just a click.
The auto industry, however, resisted the revolution until recently, hanging on to an outdated business model that forced customers to drive to a dealership in their existing car to discover, order and pay for a new one. According to a 2015 report by EY, entitled “Future of Automotive Retail,” this product-based approach will soon become customer-centric, fostering loyalty and adapting to clients’ expectations.
Hyundai Motor Europe is way ahead of the curve. Launched in November 2014, Rockar Hyundai is the world’s first digital car retailer, now with two outlets. Launching Hyundai Click2Drive and opening its corresponding dealership in Madrid’s Gran Plaza 2 shopping center, is the latest achievement in the company’s digital strategy to revolutionize traditional car sales.
With these two concepts, Hyundai has opened stores in some of the biggest shopping malls in the U.K. and in Spain, attracting young, tech-savvy customers. The Rockar Hyundai store in the UK Bluewater Shopping Center welcomed 163,000 visitors in its first year, of which 94% are new to the brand, 96% satisfied with their experience, and half of them complete the car purchase at home
