design:retail - February 2015 - (Page 18)

innovation 018 In the Driver's Seat F ORGET YOUR TYPICAL (and much dreaded) auto dealership experience. At Bluewater in the United Kingdom, it's all about digital boutique selling. The U.K. super-regional shopping center Bluewater became host to a genuine gear change in auto showrooms this past November. Enter Rockar Hyundai, a "digital store" from the duo of South Korea's Hyundai Motor Co. and Rockar. Rockar was formed in December 2011 by entrepreneur Simon Dixon, who is better known as the former CEO of auto-dealer Dixon Motors and co-founder of online auto website jamjar.com ("jam jar" is a London colloquialism for car). This is not a pop-up either, but rather a 10year lease in a 2,015-sq.-ft. space that integrates in-store, online and mobile platforms, allowing shoppers, via touchscreens, to research the range, book test drives, obtain a price for their old car, FEBRUARY 2015 DESIGNRETAILONLINE.COM choose a payment or organize a service. Rockar Hyundai "Angels" (not sales staff) are on hand to assist. Examples of the entire Hyundai range are available to test drive via a dedicated parking area adjacent to the rear of the store, while a servicing facility close by allows Hyundai owners to drop their cars off while they visit Bluewater. Created by design agency Dalziel & Pow and supported by MediaZest, this digitally enhanced auto boutique is populated with 26 digital screens that wrap round the entire space and display bespoke content designed to communicate Rockar Hyundai's proposition, pricing and promotions. "The use of digital content in Rockar has been an integral part of the design and forms a core part of the experience," says Ross Phillips, associate design director, digital, Dalziel & Pow. "By immersing the customer in a full digital wrap, we are able to communicate an entirely new shopping journey in engaging components, which are then easily updated as confidence grows." MediaZest built the system, including a large number of dynamic templates, using Scala to pull in live information (think travel and weather), which can be rapidly updated to incorporate social media, such as Tweets, Facebook posts and Reevoo reviews. The showroom is paperless, so the content not only informs and promotes the cars and brand, but also explains and takes consumers through the purchase journey via touchscreen. "It is clear from research that customers buying a new car find it an intimidating experience," Dixon says. "Rockar's vision is simple: to ensure the customer is truly at its heart and feels empowered throughout the process." We think car shopping never seemed so easy and, dare we say, fun. - Mark Faithfull Photos courtesy of HYUNDAI MOTOR UK LTD. http://www.jamjar.com http://www.DESIGNRETAILONLINE.COM

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of design:retail - February 2015

design:retail - February 2015
Contents
Editor’s Note
Show Talk
On Trend
We Love This!
Designer Picks
Innovation
How’d They Do That?
Postcard
Have You Heard?
The Digical Store
Shopping with Paco
Éléganza
Joseph Cheaney
Countdown to GlobalShop 2015
POP Supplier Listing
Products
Backstory

design:retail - February 2015