Through ‘Merc from Home’, Mercedes-Benz customers can make a booking, purchase a new car and get it delivered at their doorstep
Almost overnight, the coronavirus pandemic has initiated a ‘work from home’ economy. Millions across the world are now forced to work remotely. This new style of working amid the present state of affairs is likely to become permanent even once the pandemic is behind us. With almost all automotive dealerships in lockdown mode, German automaker Mercedes-Benz has launched a new campaign called, ‘Merc from Home’.
Under this initiative, the company embarks on a digital sales project to deliver vehicles at the buyer’s doorsteps. Mercedes-Benz India’s new online sales platform lets customers explore, select and make online payments for products and services at the comfort of their homes.
The platform on the company website, shop.mercedes-benz.co.in, enables potential customers to check out almost the entire range from the three-pointed star. This starts from the C-Class sedan and goes up to various Mercedes-AMG performance models. The vehicles will be delivered to the customer at the earliest opportunity under the local lockdown rules and regulations. The online sales platform was started in January as a hub for used Mercedes-Benz products. Now, the company has improved the website by listing brand-new models.
Martin Schwenk, CEO and MD of Mercedes-Benz India stated that the online sales platform was readied through a partnership with Roadster Inc. The company expects its worldwide initiative to take off, to an extent that 25 per cent of global passenger car sales would be made completely online by the year 2025. COVID-19 has expanded its damage beyond human health by affecting several global businesses. The automotive industry, in particular, has been struggling for the past couple of months.
From 4 May 2020, Mercedes-Benz will also launch its ‘Live Mercedes-Benz Video Consultation Studio’ for customised and interactive demonstrations of its products. For the first time, Mercedes-Benz India has also introduced an ‘online sales concierge’, operational from 10AM until midnight. Other initiatives include a one-stop solution for smart finance for a new or old Mercedes-Benz vehicle, alongside Value Added Services, product information and live demonstration.
This makes Mercedes-Benz one of the first luxury car makers in India to go ahead with online sales while brands such as Audi and Jaguar Land Rover could soon follow suit. BMW India has already launched its new Contactless Experience platform. Further down the price segment, brands such as Honda Cars India and Volkswagen have also initiated online sales via dedicated portals.