Mahindra sees online retail for SUVs as vital

• Published On: 2 February 2018
• 894 Views

The company believes carmakers need to use online platforms and create a virtual experience for customers.

Data shows that roughly 42 percent of new car buyers look for information about cars online before physically going to dealerships. Mahindra & Mahindra wants to increase its reach online and has launched a new online platform called Mahindra SYOUV – a virtual showroom for its SUVs.

Potential buyers get all the necessary information about Mahindra SUVs on this platform. You can check stock availability with the nearest dealer, live chat for queries, compare cars, book a test drive, handle finance and insurance, and book your SUV.

There’s a feature called ‘collaborative exploration’ where buyers can seek out suggestions from their friends over the internet to personalize their SUVs. There are tablets and kiosks at most Mahindra dealerships and the company is providing Samsung VR devices at your doorstep, so you can get a high-definition virtual experience of what your car is going to look like.

Mahindra has collaborated with online car-selling portals as well to provide online booking services. Once you buy a car from them, you can use Mahindra’s ‘with you hamesha’ platform to avail all the post-purchase services, which includes booking for car servicing, service reminder notifications, instant chat to fix any quick issue, Save-Our-Soul (SOS) service (in case your car gets stalled), their video chat service and online payment service.

For now, the SYOUV platform is available at only 20 dealerships. Veejay Ram Nakra, Sales and Marketing Head of Mahindra’s Automotive Division, said the company intends to add this service to all 300 dealerships by November 2018.