Nissan to shift more sales online

NISSAN Australia told journalists gathered for the launch of its Patrol Warrior this week that the success of its recent online reservation and sales model with the Z Nismo will pave the way for an expansion to other vehicles in the range.

Nissan Australia managing director, Adam Paterson, said lessons taken from the online reservation of the recently introduced Z Nismo would help to shape the “customer journey” moving forward as the company seeks to further digitalise its purchasing experience.

“In early August, we opened up orders for the Z Nismo (online) and we sold all 100 units that are coming to market in just 53 minutes,” he enthused.

“We were really excited and enthused about that, and we are very much looking forward to using that tool to allow us to market products in the future. The next of those vehicles that we will take down this road – as far as a sales process or a reservations process – will be the Qashqai e-Power.

“When we do announce Qashqai e-Power pricing and availability later this calendar year, we will take the first initial reservations online, following a similar process to that of the Z Nismo. The feedback from consumers has been fantastic … it has been really well reviewed from both customers and dealers.”

Mr Paterson said Nissan Australia will next use an online-based reservation system for the forthcoming Qashqai e-Power, which will go on sale before the end of the year, before expanding the technology to other models in the range.

“We are not stopping there as far as digitalisation is concerned. Obviously, this is the way customers shop today and our next big step on that front is going to be putting in an online stock locator,” he added.

“At the moment it is a work in progress, but it is something we expect to have in place across the entire range on nissan.com.au in the very near future.”

While Mr Paterson did not comment on whether the importer would move solely to an online sales model, it is worth noting the growing trend toward online sales among Nissan’s competitors.

Audi, BYD, Hyundai, Kia, Polestar, Subaru and Tesla all offer the ability to order and purchase some or all of their model range online, either in conjunction with a supporting dealership or via a delivery provider.

Toyota will also provide a similar process for its forthcoming all-electric bZ4X.

The shift toward an online sales environment improves the bottom line for importers and dealerships alike, reducing the overheads attached to a vehicle sale thereby (theoretically) reducing the transaction price of the vehicle.

The process also eliminates the often-daunting sales process for the customer, resulting in what some have dubbed a “hassle free experience”.

Online sales are also thought to reduce the time taken to purchase a vehicle – while allowing customers to shop at an hour that suits their lifestyle – while also allowing easier price comparisons between competitive models.

On the flipside, the online buying experience can result in a purchase being made “sight unseen” and without the all-important test drive. It is also difficult to have any specific questions addressed and to appreciate the full range of variants (or indeed other models) available.