Tatnall Insights | Dealership Cover
Technology: Too Much Or Just Right?
A real showroom observation from time spent around JAECOO & OMODA products.
Customers may research online, but many still need someone in the showroom to make the technology feel simple, useful and relevant.
Over the past few weeks, while providing Dealership Cover through Tatnall, I have had the opportunity to spend time around JAECOO & OMODA products.
I will be honest.
My first impression was:
“Where have all the buttons gone?”
My first reaction was exactly what many customers say when they sit in these vehicles for the first time: “Where have all the buttons gone?”
Like many people, I climbed in, looked at the screens and wondered how long it was going to take me to figure everything out.
Fortunately, not very long.
Once someone showed me around the vehicle, the technology started to make sense.
The cars are exceptionally well equipped, easy to drive and offer features that, not long ago, were only available on premium brands costing significantly more.
But What Interested Me Most Was Not The Cars
It was the customers.
- Some arrive with little or no knowledge of the brand.
- Some have never heard of OMODA.
- Some have never heard of JAECOO.
- Some are still comparing against brands they have known for years.
Yet after 20 or 30 minutes in the showroom, seeing the technology, experiencing the quality and understanding the value proposition, opinions begin to change very quickly.
That is the interesting part of modern automotive retail.
Sometimes the customer does not need more information.
They need reassurance.
Affordability Is Changing Brand Behaviour
For years, many customers bought certain brands because of what those brands represented.
German engineering
Italian style
Japanese reliability
Brand loyalty played a huge part in the buying decision.
Today, affordability and technology appear to be having a much bigger influence.
The Customer Question Has Changed
“Why would I pay significantly more?”
Customers are now looking at vehicles packed with equipment, comparing them against traditional brands and questioning the value gap.
This is not just happening with JAECOO & OMODA. Similar conversations are happening around MG and other emerging brands.
The Pace Of Change Is Remarkable
Japanese manufacturers took decades to establish themselves properly in the UK market.
Korean brands also spent years building trust, reputation and market share.
Chinese manufacturers appear to be accelerating that journey at a pace the industry has not really seen before.
The market is not standing still.
Customer expectations, brand perception and value judgement are all changing at the same time.
So Is The Technology Too Much?
From what I have seen, I would say no.
In fact, customers increasingly expect it.
360° cameras
heated seats
large infotainment screens
driver assistance systems
Many customers initially say they do not need these features.
Then they experience them.
And suddenly they become features they would not want to be without.
The Role Of The Sales Executive Is More Important, Not Less
As technology becomes more advanced, the role of the Sales Executive becomes even more important.
Customers still need reassurance.
They still need demonstrations.
They still need someone to translate features into benefits that matter to them.
Technology may help sell the car.
But people still help customers buy it.
And that is something that has not changed.
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