Smart defines new brand strategy
SMART IS EMBARKING on a wide-reaching revamp of its branding, product portfolio and retail network as it brings its new #1 electric SUV to global markets and will implement a new direct sales model that caters to both digital and physical buying channels.
It will centre around the implementation of a buying process that aims to enable customers to choose their Smart EV and sign for it in just six steps and 15 minutes.
Saskia Oboril-klein, the EV brand’s European head of business development, explained that the priority was to offer “a consistent customer experience and stable and transparent pricing” and vowed that “no matter through which channel a customer interacts with us, they will always find the same vehicle at the same price”.
Importantly, a build-to-stock production model in Europe will mean that Smart “will have a product available for a customer at exactly the time they need or want to have it, not having to wait another six, nine or 12 months”.
Smart’s enhanced digital network will facilitate not just a quick sales process but also enable over-theair software updates for cars; remote predictive maintenance and repair services; and access to a new dedicated Customer Experience Centre.
The brand is adamant that its physical retail sites will still play a key role, however.
It estimates that around two-thirds of its European dealerships and 50% of its sales partners will remain.
And in the UK, Smart cars will continue to be sold at 35 Mercedes-benz dealerships, with a dedicated Smart agent on hand in a specially branded section.