If you can buy a yacht or a scooter on e-commerce sites in India, then it isn't far-fetched for Paytm or Snapdeal to list cars on their portals as well. But what's more interesting is that Paytm's platform lets you use an e-wallet to book a Mahindra KUV 100.
A quick search online and you'll find that Snapdeal also lists cars from Datsun and Ford and lets you pay a booking amount online.
In light of demonetisation of old Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes, such measures may seem timely. But Veejay Ram Nakra, senior vice president, sales & customer care at the automotive division at Mahindra and Mahindra Ltd. told BloombergQuint, “Demonetisation is something that was announced on November 8. But, our strategy towards e-wallet and e-commerce goes back earlier. I'm sure you would appreciate and agree that you can't come up with an e-wallet strategy within 10 days after the government announces a policy change.” He added that while the company has started off with a tie-up with Paytm and while the KUV 100 is the only car they are offering on the portal, they plan to enroll all dealerships on Paytm. He also said that soon all Mahindra SUVs will be available on the platform.
The Times They Are A Changin'
That's not all. M&M, India's leading SUV manufacturer recently launched two new age digital platforms – SYOUV and With You Hamesha. Both initiatives are an attempt to bolster the company's digital strategy and focus on enhancing a customer's pre-sales, sales and post-sales experience.
With the introduction of these measures, the company says it has become the first Indian automotive company to utilise integrated digital platforms to provide its customers with a unique experience throughout the ownership life-cycle.
While features like 3D discovery and the use of tablets and kiosks for presales have been used by many an automaker to woo Indian customers, the company believes that the “Collaborative Exploration” feature on the SYOUV platform is a game changer. This feature allows for collective customisation of vehicles along with friends on Facebook or email, so you can build your own SUV online together with friends and family.
Nakra also spoke about the company's post sales offering, With You Hamesha. He claims, “The seamless end-to-end process right from access to booking a service to be able to make a payment- that integrated seamless experience, this is the first platform to offer that.”
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