Dealership in a box
The iconic phone box opens for business in Russell Square on Tuesday 12 September, by which time it will have been converted into a fully connected online showroom using the manufacturer’s e-commerce system, Order Online.
Customers will be able to gain access to the diminutive dealership by getting a special code at www.peugeot.co.uk/russellsquare, and inside they will find a tablet device connected to the e-commerce portal, where they can browse, configure, finance and ultimately order a new car.
At just 0.8sqm, the dealership is open between 7am and midnight every day until the end of this month.
David Peel, Peugeot managing director, said, ‘The World’s Smallest Dealership is a perfect example of how technology continues to change the way we research, view and purchase products. Not that many years ago, the process of buying a new car involved reading lots of printed literature and trawling around Dealerships. Now, despite a car being the second-largest purchase most people make in a lifetime, it can be done from anywhere – even from inside a phone box.
‘We recognise that the retail landscape is ever-changing and consumers like to have the freedom and flexibility that comes with browsing online, without the pressure of having to negotiate or make snap decisions. Order Online puts our customers firmly in the driving seat, allowing them to chop and change what they want and make a decision in their own time, in their own space.’
At Peugeot Russell Square, customers can take a seat at a specially designed desk and browse a miniature forecourt in the form of a counter displaying 1:64 scale model cars. The dealership has been kitted out with Wi-Fi and an iPad to enable the car buyer to do everything as they would at home; configure a vehicle, consider finance plans, get a part exchange value for their existing car and even book a delivery date.
The end-to-end e-commerce system also allows customers to start the process online and then visit a regular-sized dealership for a test drive, still giving them physical access to the cars. After test driving the vehicle, customers can log back into the portal from anywhere and find their vehicle specification still stored.
