*
Approximately 8,000 new passenger cars on the Internet * New vehicles delivered
to customers within a week
DaimlerChrysler has become
the first auto maker in Germany to sell new cars over the Internet. Online customers
can take their pick from a total of more than 8,000 passenger cars from the
full Mercedes-Benz range — including the new C-Class, the SLK roadster, the
M- Class and S-Class, and the exclusive CL coupe. Several selection criteria
such as model, color, equipment, and price help customers choose their vehicles
quickly and easily. Once the model has been selected, a Mercedes- Benz sales
partner contacts the customer within 24 hours and arranges for delivery within
at most one week. The Internet site can be found at http://www.mercedes-benz.de
, under the category Passenger Cars.
Go deeper with GlobalData
“The Internet offers a
whole new range of fascinating sales and marketing opportunities beyond conventional
sales channels,” says Eckhard Panka, managing director of the DaimlerChrysler
Sales Organization Germany (DCVD). “We don’t just want to sit around and talk
about these wonderful possibilities. Instead, we plan to gather some real experience
in order to determine exactly what potential opportunities the Internet offers
for a high- involvement product like the automobile.
The decisive thing about
an online sales campaign for our customer focus strategy is that it gives us
the chance to directly target those customer groups that are not just using
the Internet as a source of information but are also potentially willing to
make a purchasing decision at the click of a mouse.”
Dr. Joachim Schmidt, divisional
board member for Sales and Marketing Mercedes-Benz Passenger Cars, adds: “Redefining
the way in which customers can order our vehicles was an important milestone
for us. Together with the consistent further development of e-commerce, it underscores
our leading position in the automotive industry. What we need to do now is to
build upon this successful policy and incorporate all the other opportunities
offered by e-commerce.”
Further Internet activities
from Mercedes-Benz:
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By GlobalData360 viewing of all Mercedes-Benz
passenger car model lines Visitors to the Mercedes-Benz Internet site are now
able to obtain a detailed view of all the passenger car models from the Mercedes-Benz
range online and from every angle — both inside and outside. When inspecting
the body shell, for example, the vehicle can be fully rotated on its vertical
axis with the help of the computer mouse. In the interior, users can steer a
virtual camera so that it provides exactly the perspective they require. In
addition, a zoom function can be used to magnify up to 16 times any image of
the vehicle exterior and interior. This allows potential customers to take a
close-up look at, say, the fine texture of the leather upholstery used in the
vehicle.
Online configuration
plus downloadable price lists
Introduced in the middle
of this year, a special online configuration allows customers to put together
the Mercedes-Benz vehicle of their choice from a range of 10,000 or more different
combinations. The configuration tool tests whether the customized vehicle is
in fact “buildable” — i.e. technically feasible — and also lists the basic
and final price. At present, an average of more than 10,000 vehicles per week
are configured online in this way.
In addition, users are able
to download the price list for the models of a particular production series.
A special price finder function also offers potential customers the opportunity
to specify how much they want to pay and then lists the model or models available
at that price.
Big supply of used vehicles
For those people looking
for a used vehicle, the Mercedes-Benz site also features a wide-ranging list
of passenger car models of all makes and price categories. This also covers
the company’s central inventory of Mercedes-Benz used cars, including one-year-old
vehicles from company employees and ex-fleet vehicles returning from large customers.
Any vehicle requested from the central inventory will be delivered within five
working days free of charge to the nearest Mercedes-Benz partner, irrespective
of where the customer happens to live in Germany.
Mercedes-Benz dealerships
and sales partners on the Internet
Since March 2000, the DaimlerChrysler
Sales Organization Germany has been providing Mercedes-Benz dealerships and
sales partners with an online editorial service that ensures uniform use of
corporate design elements and also helps them personalize their individual Internet
offerings. Special dialog functions can be used to process queries concerning
service appointments, consultations and test drives, or to order brochures.
Today, more than 500 Mercedes-Benz partners throughout Germany are using this
Internet platform.
