Porsche is rolling out its online sales channel to more European markets. After starting in Germany in October 2019, the online sales channel has recently been launched in eight further European countries.
Customers in Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Italy, France as well as in Poland, Slovenia and Estonia can buy new and used vehicles from dealers in their respective markets via the digital sales channel. The UK will follow soon, Porsche said.
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"The sales figures and positive feedback from customers and dealers are proof that we have paved the right way for digital car sales in the future with our online sales strategy. We will be continuing on the same path in 2021 by launching online sales in additional countries," says Barbara Frenkel, Vice President Sales Region Europe. Depending on the specific market, car sales will take place as much as possible online, right up to the home delivery of cars to customers.
Porsche said the dealers in the nine countries offer most of their new and used cars on the platform, including standard variants of the Porsche models as well as rare derivatives. There are also plans to further expand the platform. The aim is to create a marketplace for all Porsche products and services.
Initial analyses by Porsche throw up some interesting trends. In Italy, for example, some 40 percent of all online buyers are new customers for Porsche. Used cars are particularly popular in Italy, making up over 90 percent of cars that have been sold on the platform so far. Consistent with the love that Italians traditionally have for the iconic Porsche 911, the car is the most widely sold online model. The platform will be further developed depending on the analysis of customer behavior.
Alongside the rollout in Europe and activities in the US, customers in China have also been able to access Porsche products online since autumn 2020. They can now search and find pre-owned vehicles from Porsche retail partners using WeChat, China's most popular smartphone app. In addition, certain Porsche lifestyle products and driving experiences can be purchased online via the new Porsche flagship store on Tmall, Chi-na's largest B2C online marketplace.
"We have a clear omnichannel strategy – our customers can move freely from the digital marketplace to stationary retail formats," says Martin Urschel, Vice President Smart Mobility and Digital Sales at Porsche. "We see enormous potential in e-commerce and intend to further strengthen and expand our worldwide digital business presence in partnership with the Porsche dealership organisation."
