This market trend is superimposed on the low base of last year's epidemic, which makes the half-year sales of luxury brands look excellent. At the dealer terminal, many hot-selling models have been shrinking, and even a car is hard to find, which makes luxury brands "lie down and win".
However, in the opening remarks of Zhang Yan, senior executive vice president of Beijing Mercedes-Benz Sales & Service Co., Ltd., he said, "In the past six months, we have also experienced many challenges." When talking about "lying wins", he added: "We have never lied."
Indeed, in the year of 20021,traditional luxury brands will inevitably be surrounded by topics such as electrification, digitalization and user-centeredness, and each part is a challenge to Mercedes-Benz and the future. In fact, around all the changes, Mercedes-Benz is observing, learning and exploring, and is also trying to find a model suitable for brand development.
Behind the efforts
In the first half of the year, Mercedes-Benz delivered 4,465,438+0,579 new cars in the China market, a year-on-year increase of 27.6%. The number may not be the most exaggerated, but it is the result of the joint efforts of Mercedes-Benz and dealer partners. Zhang Yan said: "We will not unilaterally pursue digital growth. More importantly, we will work with our partners to establish sustainable relationships with our customers."
Summarizing the work in the first half of the year, in addition to maintaining the continuous growth of the main models, the development direction set by Mercedes-Benz for a long time has also been further promoted and landed.
The first is the strengthening and rebirth of the word "luxury", which is the foundation of Mercedes-Benz and the core of its future development strategy. From the two points of "new luxury" products and "heart luxury" services, this paper further explains how to truly define luxury, and at the same time touches on the understanding of luxury in the whole dealer system and the capacity building of delivering luxury experience to customers.
Specific to the product level, new cars, including a new generation of S-class cars, innovations in design language, intelligence and digitalization, and "sub-brand" strategies such as EQ, AMG, Maibakh and G-class are also measures to strengthen personalized luxury experience.
In terms of service, "luxury of heart" is not only the understanding of communication level, but also the cooperation of upgrading hardware facilities, optimizing service process, and improving service attitude and concept.
Under the "2020 network upgrade plan", more and more dealer stores with brand-new design styles have landed, and the service convention, hospitality and star enjoyment guide have been deeply understood and implemented. At the same time, Mercedes-Benz has set a model of "hospitality mode", collecting all people, events and ideas worthy of promotion and promoting them to the whole system.
Secondly, this year is "Mercedes -EQ Year", and brand-new EQA pure electric SUV, brand-new EQB pure electric SUV and brand-new EQS pure electric car will be listed one after another. How to build a more conceptual and powerful retail network and more convenient charging facilities to better adapt to changes and better serve customers is also the focus of Mercedes-Benz. In this regard, Zhang Yan said: "We are making a lot of efforts to promote the preparatory work."
In addition, in the aspect of "sustainable development", serving customers is an opportunity for sustainable management, and a number of energy-saving and environmental protection measures have been implemented in the "2020 Network Upgrade Plan" to promote green retail; Up to the production end and the supply end, Mercedes-Benz has also made sustainable actions. At the same time, Mercedes-Benz is also actively promoting environmental protection, strengthening the country through education and cultural self-confidence, and practicing the development of corporate social responsibility.
Dealer system in the new era
Different from any previous interview and communication, the opening of this mid-year media communication meeting started from the first pilot of the "2020 Network Upgrade Plan"-Li Xingxing Pingzhi Exhibition Hall in Wangjing, Beijing.
"2020 Network Upgrade Plan" is a key means for Mercedes-Benz to improve customer experience, retail efficiency and cost. Zhang Yan said: "At present, we are continuing to promote the whole network. It is estimated that by the end of 20021,more than one-third of dealers will carry out hardware transformation and upgrade their processes and personnel throughout the network. "
The upgraded dealer store is an important achievement for Mercedes-Benz to build a "smart network" in an all-round way, and also shows the business development idea of the dealer network changing from "market-oriented" to "customer experience-oriented".
In Li Xingxing Pingzhi Exhibition Hall, we visited and experienced a brand-new exhibition hall design concept and car purchase process. Different from the traditional 4S shop design, the new exhibition hall has a wider space and a more temperature-sensitive visual experience. More importantly, for customers, the traditional linear process has become a multi-dimensional network process, and the customer's moving line has become the center. At the same time, the new digital retail system not only brings more convenient experience to customers, but also improves the sales management efficiency of dealers.
On the other hand, Mercedes-Benz also gives dealers more initiative in the brand-new exhibition hall. Different dealers can design personalized customer rest areas to meet the personalized needs of customers in local regional markets.
During the interview, zhangyan constantly emphasized the value and significance of the dealer system for Mercedes-Benz. Despite the rapid changes in the industry, there has been endless discussion about whether 4S stores will continue to exist, and the direct sales model adopted by new power brands has been accepted by more and more consumers.
But for Mercedes-Benz, on the one hand, it provides six flexible modes on the outlets: 4S shop, exhibition hall, service center, convenience service center, AMG brand center and EQ experience store.
On the other hand, as Zhang Yan said, "The development of Mercedes-Benz for so many years has a very valuable wealth, which is the concept consensus and close cooperation with dealer partners. Serving customers well is the basis of our consensus. "
Mercedes-Benz and dealer partners have been gaining insight and understanding of new trends, new demands and new models. In zhangyan's view, no matter how to innovate, the core remains the same: how to provide customers with efficient and high-quality services, meet customers' car service needs in the new market environment, and improve the efficiency of the retail system based on customer needs.
For Mercedes-Benz, the dealer system is still a valuable asset. Whether it is directly operated or not, truly understanding and providing professional services to customers is the core.
Behind the store upgrade, process optimization and digital construction, the most important thing is to let every employee not only improve his professional ability, but also be willing to understand and meet the needs of customers from the heart.
The so-called service with temperature, in the final analysis, depends on people.
At present, Mercedes-Benz has more than 700 outlets in 244 cities. In the future, Mercedes-Benz will also consider the layout and development of the retail network in combination with customer demand, supporting capacity of the dealer system and service efficiency to ensure the customer experience.
Prepare for the arrival of electrification
The importance of electrification to Mercedes-Benz is self-evident, otherwise there would be no "Mercedes -EQ Year" and "Mercedes -EQ Night" before the Shanghai Auto Show.
But for Mercedes-Benz, this road is also full of challenges.
Although the traffic insurance data shows that the sales volume of EQC, the first pure electric vehicle, increased by 97.5% in the first five months of 20021,compared with Mercedes-Benz's position in the fuel vehicle market, people have reason to have higher expectations and requirements for Mercedes-Benz's electrification process.
Next, three Mercedes -EQ pure electric vehicles will be listed one after another, including the new EQA pure electric SUV, EQB pure electric SUV and EQS pure electric vehicle. E-class cars and GLE SUV currently offer plug-in hybrid vehicles. By the end of this year, nearly 600 stores in China will have the ability to provide EQ sales and customer service.
Talking about the development of electrification, Zhang Yan said: "We are actively looking at the changes in the whole industry, and at the same time we are actively exploring how to promote the upgrading of dealer stores, the reserve of personnel and the establishment of service concepts from the aspects of business philosophy and technical means. "
At the end of 20 19, Mercedes-Benz's first pure electric product EQC went on the market. At the same time, the layout of the "five-star" charging service, the construction of the basic network of charging services. Through more than two years of experience, Mercedes-Benz has a deeper understanding of electric vehicle customers, and dealer partners have also made more preparations for the arrival of the electrification era.
Zhang Yan said: "We will continue to improve the corresponding customer service and communication system for electrical products this year, and more measures will be introduced in the future." With the launch of three new EQ products, we have reason to expect Mercedes-Benz to have a better breakthrough and performance in the new energy market.
Write it at the end
The achievements of traditional luxury brands are often considered as "lying down to win", but new power electric vehicles frequently make headlines, which may really be the era of great changes in the automobile industry.
Zhangyan said that he once asked a colleague a question: "Do you think Mercedes is a new force or a traditional force?"
135 years ago, Mercedes-Benz was born for subversion. How many people can imagine today's world in that carriage era?
For Mercedes-Benz, only by seeking a balance between inheritance and change can it develop to this day. Behind every generation of Mercedes-Benz products, we can also see the brand's unremitting pursuit of innovation and change.