BMW will look to update the interiors of its dealerships throughout the United States and wants to make them feel more like a hospitality suite than a traditional showroom.
The automaker’s new Retail Next design concept will debut in the U.S. in July and is being led by BMW of North America sales boss Shaun Bugbee. Approximately 25 dealerships are already in the early planning to update their showrooms to the new design while nearly a third of the company’s 350 U.S. stores will renovate their spaces in the coming years.
“It’s about recognizing that the buying process has changed and how we make it more inviting to the consumer, instead of… filled with anxiety,” Bugbee told Auto News. “There’s a fundamental customer perspective that once you go in the showroom, it is an uncomfortable experience. We want to emulate the ease, transparency and convenience of the online experience and duplicate that in-store.”
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To do this, BMW’s new showrooms will feature fewer cars and each model will have a display with loungelike seating, premium furniture, and unique lighting. Additionally, BMW will ditch the sales advisor cubicles that typically ring its showrooms and instead, salespeople will interact with customers at the vehicle displays.
Bugbee notes that BMW dealerships will not be pushed into adopting the new retail approach. In fact, those that have updated their stores to BMW’s current corporate image will be given a pass for 15 years.
“It’s important that we recognize the existing investment, which will be honored,” he added. “We will not mandate a one-size-fits-all vendor.”
BMW National Dealer Forum chairman David Sloane added that the design will transform showrooms into a conversational space but does have some concerns.
“Manufacturers are bringing greater sensibility to their facility upgrade programs,” he said. “There’s more thought and willingness in seeking input from retailers about what makes sense and what doesn’t. [But] we’re in the sales business. It’s a stretch to think that a salesperson will sit at a table with an iPad and sell a car.”
