150 Renault Stores across France in one year Renault speeds up sales network transformation

• With the rise of e-commerce, consumer practices are changing, making it necessary to rethink dealerships. Renault Stores are the solution developed by Renault.

• In just over one year since the start of deployment, the network has opened 150 Renault Stores. With 265 sales outlets already engaged in the process, virtually the entire network (dealerships and Renault Retail Group) will comply with the new standards by the end of 2014.

Too often, buying or servicing a car is considered as a stressful or unsatisfactory experience. Over-insistent sales people and poorly organized service advisors can give automotive sales a bad name in the fast-changing world of distribution.

To meet the needs of today’s hyper-connected consumers, Renault is aiming for excellence in customer relations at each point of contact with the brand. With the renewal of vehicle design, Renault needed to create a new showcase for its models. Renault Stores were designed to better meet customer expectations. To build complementarity between the digital and physical networks, the Renault Stores need to deliver a flawless service in all the areas where the internet is unable to provide customers with a satisfactory response: a personalized welcome, being able to see and touch the cars, colours and materials, test drives, trade-in offers and  ̶  above all  ̶  in the quality of relations with the sales person and service advisor.

Renault Stores have a strong customer focus, and the role of the sales advisor is to help them find the product and services that best meet their needs:

• This approach starts as soon as the customer walks through the door. A receptionist establishes a connection with customers, finds out what they need and guides them to the right place.
• The warm, friendly brand area enables customers to get to know Renault and its products, while staying connected with Wi-Fi access.
• The theme-based areas display the vehicles in clearly defined groups (News, Passion, Sport, Z.E). Sales people are able to showcase the design and features of our products more effectively, while customers can discover and touch the models on show.
• The accessories unit creates a continuous link between the product offering, the accessories and the customer.
• The configurator provides a large-screen display of all the colours available in the range. Making the transition from digital to physical, it enables customers to complete the configuration of their model, alone or with the assistance of a sales advisor, and to display the model and equipment of their choice in real time.
• The delivery area welcomes customers taking delivery of a new vehicle with a personalized handover.

A dealership is not just a place that sells cars. People coming into the workshops will also spend time here. Through the new Renault Stores, the brand aims to completely transform the customer experience, even in after-sales, by placing the after-sales reception desk in the showroom. Customers can now take advantage of the lounge area and discover the brand’s new products at leisure while they are waiting to collect their car.

Opening a Renault Store does not mean simply changing the furnishings. To make the customer experience unique, all the sales people, service advisors and sales assistants are trained to establish a consistently warm and professional relationship with the customer throughout the vehicle purchasing and maintenance cycle.

Quality surveys show spectacular improvements for outlets that become Renault Stores. Satisfaction scores rise by eight points on average, with an average recommendation rate of almost 90%.

“ The deployment of the Renault Stores is a huge success that shows the strength of the brand. The Stores are one of the most important links in our sales and marketing policy. If our approach to physical sales does not create real added value, it could be squeezed out of its key position in the customer journey. With the Renault Stores, we are delivering a unique experience through outlets that are modern, friendly and dynamic ,” said Bernard Cambier , Senior Vice-President, Market Area France.

A few figures about Renault network:

Dealerships: 278 sites

RRG entities: 49

Secondary entities: 368

Sub-agents network: 3,655 sites