Maruti Suzuki, the country's largest carmaker, will progressively overhaul its retail network over the next five years and make digital integration a pivotal point in front-end sales.
Christened as Maruti Suzuki Arena, the company’s showrooms will sport "modern looks, offer warm, friendly and comfortable environment to customers".
Kenichi Ayukawa, Managing Director and Chief Executive of Maruti Suzuki India, said: “Digital technology makes it possible for us to offer more convenience, more information, enhanced transparency and better service to our customers”.
This transformation is the fourth important pillar of the company’s journey to achieve its targeted 2 million sales by 2020. Nexa, True Value and the Commercial Vehicle business are the other pillars.
Through Arena, customers can experience the convenience of booking their cars or even personalising their vehicles through the new-look website. "This is poised to strongly connect with the young and do-it-yourself generation of customers," the company said.
According to Maruti Suzuki, about 75 percent of car buyers in India research online before deciding on a purchase.
At Maruti Suzuki Arena, customers who register on the website can start their journey seamlessly in the showroom by entering their mobile number on the navigation portal. They can explore the entire product portfolio, through interactive product vision touchscreens at the showroom.
A dedicated personalisation zone with car configurators will enable customers to electronically personalise cars by mixing and matching accessories.
Technology will also assist relationship managers who, equipped with tablets and an app, will showcase the wide range of Maruti Suzuki products and variants to customers for ease of comparison.
"The new showrooms will have a dynamic facade with a trendy blue signature design element and an Active Experience Terrace," said the company.
The company aims to set up over 80 Maruti Suzuki Arenas by March next year. Progressively, existing showrooms across India will focus on extending the Maruti Suzuki Arena experience to customers.
“This transformation at the showrooms will be in phases and we hope to cover the entire channel in the next 3-5 years,” added Ayukawa.
Maruti Suzuki, with a market share of more than 47 percent, has a network of more than 1,800 sales outlets in nearly 1500 cities, towns and villages. This network is larger than Hyundai, Tata Motors, Honda, Toyota combined. Maruti aims to more than double this to 4,000 by 2020.
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