"FindMyMazda":ThisisHowNewCarSearchWorksToday
As one of the first automotive manufacturers, Mazda Motors Germany launched the new sales platform "FindMyMazda" in July 2015 to simplify the search for new Mazda cars for prospective buyers on the internet. Since then, the German headquarters has been consolidating the new car offers from its authorized dealers on the manufacturer’s own online platform www.mazda.de/FindMyMazda. This has created Germany's largest online marketplace for new Mazda cars with current dealer offers, transparent prices, and the proven services of the authorized partners. After six months, Mazda is now taking stock for the first time.
"In the age of online business, the FindMyMazda platform is an important contact point within the customer journey and the perfect link from the virtual to the real dealership," says Felix Gebhart, Director of Network Strategy and Customer Experience at Mazda Germany. "The almost 100 percent participation rate of the dealers and the high number of visits show that FindMyMazda is very well received by both prospective buyers and the trade."
Currently, 447 dealers, representing 99 percent of the entire Mazda dealership network, participate in the platform and offer nearly 20,000 Mazda vehicles in their dealer inventory or dealer pipeline at individual offer prices. In contrast, there are more than 100,000 accesses (unique visits) from prospective buyers per month, who can use the filter mechanism to find their desired vehicle and then directly submit an inquiry to the corresponding dealer.
Potential buyers no longer need to visit cross-manufacturer portals but can find current and, above all, local offers from authorized Mazda dealers on a central platform. And if they are still undecided about which Mazda model suits them, the model finder provides the suitable model for the user through a playful needs analysis. In the seamless transition to the actual results, they find directly matching offers with photos and an exact cost overview; even monthly financing rates are immediately visible and can be adjusted by the user. Gebhart continues: "For our Mazda dealers, the advantages are clear. We present their local dealer offers and availabilities on our central Mazda customer website www.mazda.de and thus guide users from the digital internet world into the real world of the dealership with individual advice from an authorized Mazda dealer and real test drives."
The high dealer participation rate is explained by project manager Georg Schulte: "Through interfaces to Mazda's own IT systems, the effort for the dealer to enter new vehicles or offers is very low. At the same time, these data and all data from prospective buyers remain within the Mazda organization. Participation in FindMyMazda is absolutely free for the trade, and the success is no coincidence, as the trade was involved in the project from the beginning and has significantly shaped it through constructive feedback."
Mazda authorized dealer Achim Hansmann, Managing Director of Hansmann Automobile GmbH in Kassel, adds: "For us as a Mazda dealer, the FindMyMazda sales platform is an important initiative from our importer in response to the changing behavior of prospective buyers. More and more prospects are informing themselves on the internet before purchasing a vehicle, and it is therefore extremely important that information on vehicle availability and offer prices can also be found on www.mazda.de and that the prospect is forwarded to the authorized dealer without detours."
After extensive evaluations, Mazda Germany now also knows the user behavior of potential buyers on FindMyMazda. "It is interesting, for example, that only six percent of all potential buyers sort the results list by price, or that more than 90 percent of all prospects search for their dream car within a radius of 100 kilometers," Schulte further explains. "At the same time, we have also been able to gather further feedback from the trade over the past six months. Insights from both sources are now being incorporated into adjustments and expansions of the tool."
This further development will continue in collaboration with the trade. In the next step, the attractive offers for demonstration vehicles and day registrations will be brought more to the forefront. The usability will also be made clearer and thus easier for both the trade and the prospects. For this purpose, the layout will be adjusted, and a search engine optimization of the FindMyMazda platform is on the agenda for 2016. There are also plans to integrate FindMyMazda into individual dealer websites or as a touchscreen application in dealer showrooms.
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