ŠKODA: We’re selling more than a metal box
ŠKODA is bringing the influence of word-of-mouth to selling used cars.
It hopes to use insights of previous owners to attract new ones in a three-month trial taking place at Willis Motor Company in London.
So anyone trading in and upgrading their ŠKODA will share information such as the car’s name, its personality traits and special family memories that it has helped to create.
These details will then be passed on to potential customers. If successful, ŠKODA will extend the programme across its entire retail network.
Nick O’Neill, national used car manager for ŠKODA UK, said, ‘Since the dawn of the automobile, the used car sales process has largely remained the same. However, as our research shows, many people feel that some change is needed.
‘After buying a house, a car is the most expensive purchase that most of us will ever make. When you look round prospective homes, it can help to add appeal to a property if you see happy photos of the current owner and their family hanging on the wall. You understand that if someone can love it there, you can too. We’re applying a similar logic to the used car sales experience.’
Among the 2,000 British drivers that ŠKODA spoke to, 39% said that learning more about their prospective new set of wheels from the previous owner would make the sales experience more compelling.
Dennis Willis, proprietor of Willis Motor Company, said, ‘We’ve been selling used cars for more than 25 years, and I’ve seen first-hand the way that the relationship between owners and their cars has changed. People don’t just own a car now – they love it, it becomes part of them and their life. No one has done anything like this in the industry to reflect that shift: ŠKODA is breaking new ground.’
