“Nowadays, a website or app can do just a good a job at purely providing sales information as a dealership sales person”, explained BYTON marketing chief Henrik Wenders at BYTON’s European première at Milan Design Week 2018. “We already offer a range of touchpoints. But when someone decides to spend time in our brand store, as our guest we will always offer him or her an added benefit beyond pure product information. They should have an enjoyable time, and immerse themselves in a range of topics where BYTON is at home – such as the presentation of cutting-edge products and services in an increasingly digital world”.
The BYTON brand store concept was showcased for the first time in Milan, and it makes it easy to see how the premium electric car brand will present itself going forward – first in China then followed by other major cities in the US and Europe. They will focus on offering an enjoyable atmosphere without being all about getting a sale; where a nice experience, discussions where people feel treated as equals, and co-creation are just as important.
BYTON brand stores as a hybrid model with retail partners
The brand stores vary in size from 500 to 1,000 m2 (approx. 5,400 to 10,800 sq ft) and are split into various areas where the brand can be experienced in diverse ways. “Different zones for different experiences – we don’t just want to inform, but also share our values and approach in clear terms.
What drives us? What do we want to change? And what, ultimately, do our customers gain from this? Our main concern is not about mobility or road performance, but how we enable our customers to make better and advantageous use of their time spent in the car. We do this on very different levels – in an emotive, entertaining, or even informative way”, added Henrik Wenders. To distinguish these zones from each other and to give structure to the spaces, the brand store concept leverages connecting lines that represent connectedness and communication, and which are reflected in the vehicle’s design and in communication media.
For the continued rollout of the brand store concept BYTON will use a hybrid model with retail partners which, alongside conveying its brand values, will also guide customers clearly through the configuration and sales process. “BYTON defines the processes, the brand, the overall approach, and is also the customer’s direct contractual partner; the retail partner provides the infrastructure and the personnel, and runs the store as an agent model”, explained the marketing chief. “We will involve our retail partners actively in the final rollout concept, but also take into consideration their requirements as well as their particular market experience. BYTON is already a global product – our team comprises global experts and we have headquarters in China, Germany, and Silicon Valley. That’s another reason how we know that markets and people do not always tick the same everywhere. Close collaboration with independent partners also enables us to better understand our local focus groups”.
The first BYTON brand store measuring in at around 600m2 (approx. 6,500 sq ft) is scheduled to open at the end of 2018 in the best downtown location of Shanghai, China.
