Is BMW’s New High-Tech Selling Approach Going to Be a Winner?

Posted on February 20, 2014 by bermanevansretail
As we have reported before (see the story on Tesla seeking to bypass traditional car dealers), the retail auto industry is changing. Now comes word that BMW is going to change the dealership experience and modify the role of salespeople.
What do YOU think of BMW’s plans?
According to Christina Rogers and Joseph B. White, writing for the Wall Street Journal:
“Luxury car maker BMW AG wants to bring its dealerships into the digital age, recommending they rip out showroom cubicles, install flat screen displays, and hire ‘product geniuses’ to explain the complex technology in its cars without the pressure to close a sale. BMW’s new program could mean, among other things, fewer salespeople and fewer cars on showroom floors, and more information delivered through video displays and by employees who are ‘definitely, definitely not salesmen,’ said sales and marketing chief Ian Robertson.”
“BMW’s plan reflects a broader anxiety among auto company executives and independent dealers that consumers accustomed to online shopping and the ultraclean look of Apple Inc.’s stores are increasingly impatient with the 20th Century ambience of most auto dealerships.”
Click the image to read more.

Photo by Kevin Hagen for the Wall Street Journal

 

Posted in Part 1: Overview/Planning, Part 2: Ownership, Strategy Mix, Online, Nontraditional, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 7: Communicating with the Customer, Technology in Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Wal-Mart and Logistics: An Infographic

Posted on February 19, 2014 by bermanevansretail
How does Wal-Mart handle its logistics? Take a look at this infographic and see why logistics is such a strength for Wal-Mart.

 

Posted in Part 4: Store Location Planning, Part 5: Managing a Retail Business, Part 6: Merchandise Management and Pricing, Technology in Retailing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Global E-Tailing in 2020

Posted on February 18, 2014 by bermanevansretail
Where is global E-tailing heading over the next several years? We know it’s going to get bigger and bigger.
Recently, OC&C Strategy Consultants published “The Global Retail E-mpire” report, which ” estimates the value of online retail trade based on Google searches in six of the biggest E-commerce markets, making up half of global E-commerce volumes: the UK, the US, Germany, the Nordics, the Netherlands, and France. It has found that the retail sector is becoming increasingly global and interconnected as trade between countries is growing exponentially.”
Click the image to access an infographic summary of this report.

 
Global Retail e-mpire_Infographic Final


 

Posted in Global Retailing, Online Retailing, Part 1: Overview/Planning, Part 3: Targeting Customers and Gathering Information | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments