By Siddharth Chaturvedi – MD and founder, Boys and Machines
The current and future business stature is service dependent. A company makes or breaks on the basis of customer-centric focus. From restaurants to luxury car shops, service is the key differentiator. The pre-owned luxury car market which was previously a micro-scale deal, is now performing on a nation-wide stage. In the last decade, India has seen incremental developments in the pre-owned luxury car space. New brands are collectively in a mission to organize the pre-owned car market in India. By providing high-value deals – ensuring quality of the car, reasonable pricing, and improving the ownership journey of the buyer.
Pre-owned luxury car sellers and buyers shares an equal passion for luxury automobiles. This helps brands in initiating a long and fruitful partnership. It is no longer a game of just selling cars. It no longer ends when the car is sold. The real relationship between brands and customers starts after the sale. It has come to adding customer-centricity to the entire value chain. Players who survive and eventually thrive, are the ones who align their business model with customer at the center.
Organized players in the market are using every opportunity for customer delight. Right from the enquiry to sale. And it does not stop there. Brands are earning credibility with attractive policies like a high-value buyback guarantee and complete car care post sale of the car.
Growing presence of physical showrooms is strategic in nature. Before inking a physical presence in a city, the dealerships establishes reliable partnership with luxury OEM service stations or renowned luxury car service provider or open up their own specialized service stations. This enhances the ownership experience of buyers as they need not worry in finding a trustworthy service partner, locally.
The power of digitalization and online influence helps brands to reach to a larger audience in remote parts of the country. Buyers looking to buy their first luxury car or upgrading to a swankier ride can enquire through a click of a button. Social media presence and influence have helped in serving aspirational buyers. Buyers can also check out virtual 360-degree tour on dealer’s website. Customers can get each and every detail about the listed car on the website.
The phase between booking a car and allocated delivery date seems to be the longest time. Renowned pre-owned luxury car dealers are constantly updating their stock and delivers at customer’s doorstep in blazing speeds. This has been possible with time saving in follow-ups and digital paperwork.
The delivery day itself is the most exciting part and customer-centric dealerships go an extra mile to make it more auspicious. Cake cutting, fancy decoration, and exotic performances are some of the extravaganzas that delights customers and whole-heartedly welcomes a new member to their family. These one-of-a-kind experiences makes organized players in the market more reliable and delightful.
True value is offered to customers with attractive buyback deals and complete car protection for the next year. Luxury cars that are up for sale goes through a series of quality checks. They are ramped up to ensure zero service hassles for atleast one year from delivery. If anything goes wrong, specialized service stations are a call away to fix the issue. Services include pick-up and drop option to optimize the ownership experience.
These individual elements clubbed together makes a difference in the long term. A customer centric approach, revamping all steps of the buying and selling value chain, and constructing business models that adds incredible value are the ultimate ways to improve ownership experience of pre-owned luxury car buyers.
