The Vehicle Adventure Experience (or Test Drive) as a New Retail Channel
For Dealerships & Dealer Networks
By now your dealership or network has considered opening-up your inventory to a new buying segment – one that is not looking for ownership but rather shorter-term vehicle access and use.
Dealers have a big opportunity to play a significant role in the New Mobility markets and now is the time to be experimenting. A record number of high-quality SUVs are coming off of lease and are sold as CPO and used vehicles. Why not put some of your used inventory to work, increase loyalty and potentially accelerate the sales cycle to that of a long weekend of experiences, adventure and memories?
For Outdoor Brands
Your products and services are best served when they are experienced first-hand. The vehicle-centric experience is another opportunity for consumers to be exposed to your products, interact with them and come to appreciate their value.
We eat in our vehicles, we get ready for the day in our vehicles, we get work done in our vehicles, we explore the world in our vehicles and unfortunately, more and more of us are sleeping in our vehicles due to long commutes, high-price housing and other factors.
And we are doing all of these things in vehicles that we own, we lease, we rent, we borrow and we share with others. We now find ourselves with many options, some of which are better suited to our needs (and time and budget) than others. One rental car company has discovered that many of their customers rent their vehicles so that they can get a night’s sleep. And now consider that because of COVID-19, our entire perception of retail shopping in a physical location with others or in areas of high foot traffic has changed.
The vehicle consideration, learning and purchase process has accelerated its evolution into digital-tool based models. The entire experience of buying a vehicle can happen via an app - one that is used to schedule a test drive, unlock the car, track mileage, verify the driver’s license, track location, usage and more.
A significant element of that experience is the new extended test drive, now being offered by most OEMs. You can take it to the grocery store, drop-off kids, take it to a dealership to be checked-out, take it camping and much more over a couple of days. You get to experience the vehicle and its capabilities in the context of your everyday life. And now since other parts of your life have so dramatically changed, you may be considering a vehicle as your new means of commuting (replacing mass transit) or as a place to hold meetings (replacing restaurants or Starbucks) or as a place to live for a few days (replacing hotels).
And if you decide that this vehicle is not for you, then give it right back and are charged a small amount by some or get your money refunded by others. This new “try-it before you buy-it” option has been successfully advertised and implemented by the likes of Carvanna, Vroom and others for years now. And as they know, a lot of (mostly) good impressions and good memories can be formed over 5-7 days.
Consumers buy products largely because of perception and how it makes them feel when they purchase your product or service. Impressions, awareness and consciousness all mash together to form your perception about a company and its offerings. And in the case of outdoor adventure gear and an outdoor destination, a “cool” factor and now a “healthy” factor contribute greatly to their success. And what you do while you are there, like camping as a family or teaching your kids a skill, also contribute to the perception, meaning and value of the products you are using.
We believe that encouraging and enabling these opportunities is good for everyone - including the vehicle provider, the gear manufacturer, the facility manager and most of all the consumers.