Direct-operated stores entering the bustling business district have become a popular new trend of new energy vehicle brands, and traditional car companies' 4S stores have also begun to move closer to the supermarket channel.
Recently, Hongqi Automobile opened a 4S store in Fengtai Wanda Plaza, and the ARCFOX Jihu Beijing Center in Guomao even built the 4S store into a new social space integrating interactive projects such as coffee, bars and talk shows, and popular business districts such as Oriental Plaza, Hopson Hui and Blue Harbor have also become gathering places for new energy vehicle brands.
In addition to being closer to consumers, opening stores in popular business districts is also a channel for new energy brands to show their image and strength. However, consumers in the business district often do not have a strong purpose of car purchase, and the popularity of the business circle also directly affects the flow of shop customers. The new sales model of new energy vehicles entering the business circle is certainly eye-catching, but the market consumption habits also need to be further cultivated.
4S stores have opened into popular business districts
At 10:00 a.m. on March 12, as soon as Fengtai Wanda Plaza opened its doors, the location of the atrium on the first floor of the mall was already surrounded by visualizers and media seats. A brand-new Hongqi E-QM5 new car on the stage attracted many citizens who came to shop to stop and watch. "The first time I've seen a new car go on sale in a mall." Many people in the past feel very fresh. Media reporters who have long been accustomed to participating in new car launch conferences in special places such as major conference centers and stadiums are also curious about this.
In the shop next to the press conference, the red flag signboard with red characters on a white background is particularly conspicuous among pizza hut, Chow Tai Fook, Hendry, DR and other brands. At the press conference, the E-QM5 model that was announcing the price had already been placed in the hall, and several groups of consumers were watching and testing under the introduction and guidance of the sales staff; in the interactive area on the side, Ms. Lan, a citizen who lived nearby, was experiencing the production of succulent potted plants under the leadership of the staff. "We have long been optimistic about the HS5 model, today is here to buy a car, my husband is signing the order."
Moving 4S stores into shopping malls is one of the new ways to play the new Hongqi brand experiential marketing model. In October last year, FAW Hongqi announced that it had joined hands with Wanda Group and other cross-industry partners to build an ecosystem, and the Wanda Plaza Fengke store was its first 4S store in the business circle. The store space is used for the display and sale of new cars, as well as to provide a variety of interactive experiences for customers entering the store, and after-sales services such as repairs and maintenance are carried out in the underground parking lot of the mall.
According to the staff in the store, since the opening of more than two months, the monthly sales have reached 30 to 40 units, "many of which are said to be 'planted grass' when they come to the mall to shop." In addition, the cooperation with Wanda Plaza has also brought many benefits to car owners, "At present, more than 280,000 Hongqi car owners have enjoyed free movie tickets, free parking coupons, Wanda Hotel VIP cards, parent-child activities and other rights." ”
"Show muscles" while "making friends"
Located in the Beijing Center of ARCFOX in the Guomao business district, BEIQI Penglong specializes in ARCFOX Jihu brand models, and moved into the bustling business district, and this traditional 4S store has also changed its "tonality". In the leisure space surrounded by huge transparent glass windows, more than a dozen card seats and small round tables provide a place for customers to stop and even talk and work, and in the coffee bar next to it, the baristas are concentrating on pulling flowers for order customers.
According to Jiao Feng, general manager of ARCFOX Jihu Beijing Center, this store is located in the core business circle of Beijing CBD, which not only highlights the high-end positioning of BAIC Group for the Jihu brand, but also reflects the determination and attitude of BAIC Penglong in developing BAIC's own brand. Compared with traditional 4S stores, the biggest feature of the store is to establish a closer emotional connection with car owners and potential car buyers by creating diversified scenes and rich interactive experiences.
Consumers who come to this store for test drive will be able to get a test drive service package including common items such as sunscreen, spray and ice sleeves; if they want to test drive on a route they are familiar with every day, the store will also provide users with door-to-door pick-up and delivery services; when buying a car, consumers can also enjoy the private customized personalized delivery ceremony provided in the store. The rear space of the store is a maintenance site, in addition to providing after-sales service for the owners of the polar fox, it also provides car washing, beauty and other services for all car owners.
Located on the first floor of the Oriental Plaza of Dongdan Business District, Skyrim Motors and Feifan Motors are also new energy vehicle direct sales stores that have newly opened into the mall in the past one or two years, although the passenger flow is not much, but the signboard outside the store is still very high-profile. "This store is mainly the store where we show our brand image and strength." A salesperson at Skyrim Motors said.
In addition, hopson hui in the past year into the Weilai, Nezha, ideal, Xiaopeng, Weima, Tianji, Extreme Kr, Lantu and other new energy vehicle direct sales stores, Blue Harbor also gathered ideal, Weilai, SAIC Volkswagen, Xiaopeng, Gaohe and other brands.
Is the car business in the business district easy to do?
From the perspective of the playing style of various brands, the direct operation experience model of commercial supermarkets has been widely recognized by the market. "You don't need to come to the 4S store to find us, but to move our exhibition scene to your side." In Jiao Feng's view, after the product quality verification in the past five or six years, the market has a basic understanding of new energy vehicles, but it is not yet understood about specific brands and products. "It may be that when you come into contact with a certain brand on the way to shopping with your family and taking your children to class, you will be invisibly 'planted'."
In order to make the Polar Fox Beijing Center a multi-scene service space widely recognized by the surrounding customer groups, the store also launched talk shows and other performances, "hoping to have more frequent contact with high-net-worth customers around the area, transform the low-frequency consumption of car purchases into scene-based high-frequency consumption, and establish a richer connection relationship with customers." Jiao Feng said that in the ARCFOX Jihu brand dealership under Beiqi Penglong, many orders were introduced through friends and acquaintances.
However, although supermarkets can reach more potential customers, if the shopping mall traffic situation is not ideal, it will also greatly affect the order volume of automobile brands.
On weekday afternoons, there are not many customers in several new energy brand stores in the Blue Harbor Business Circle, and the Skyline Automobile Direct Store in Oriental Plaza, which has closed the entrance to the street due to the epidemic, is also weak. "Three or four cars were sold last month." A sales staff member of Skyrim Auto admitted, "The traffic in the store on weekdays is really not much, and the weekend will be relatively better." ”
Industry insiders believe that the entry of new energy vehicle brands into the business circle is a win-win cooperation: the inherent shopping center attribute of the business district can continuously attract passenger flow with high consumption capacity for automobile brands; shopping malls can also bring consumers a better shopping experience by introducing automobile brand stores. However, as a new product and new consumption model, new energy vehicle brand stores have entered the bustling business circle, and market consumption habits and brand recognition also need to be further cultivated.
"Maybe you didn't buy a car when you entered the store today, but after you leave, you can tell the people around you what kind of brand Feifan is, and we have achieved the purpose of promoting marketing." The staff of Feifan Automobile Beijing Oriental Plaza Experience Center said.