BMW Launches Start-to-Finish Online Buying Service In UK

BMW has become the first major automaker to implement an online car buying process for consumers. Piloted in 9 stores in the UK, the program has now been rolled out in 137 of BMW’s 146 UK dealerships. This program named BMW Retail Online allows consumers to complete the entire online sales process online.

Consumers who choose to use this buying method simply answer a few questions about their lifestyles and driving habits and BMW’s system will suggest a model that fits along with two alternate selections. The consumer can then input their credit information and get approved for financing within 90 seconds. When approved, they can toggle through multiple loan and lease options changing variables such as term length and down payment. Once they’ve reached a payment that they are satisfied with, the consumer then inputs their bank information to close the deal through providing a first payment, deposit or pay in full. The consumer can even input information on a trade-in and obtain a value. Consumers aren’t entirely alone in this process with BMW providing online customer service from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. 7 days a week should consumers have questions.

BMW isn’t bypassing its dealer network, however. At the end of the process, the consumer is asked to choose which dealership they would like to pick their car up from. It’s unknown at this time whether the dealership gets commissioned on the full sale or whether the sale is treated as a courtesy delivery.

Similar third-party services are appearing on the retail scene in the United States that offer much of the same – VirtualDeal being one. This, however, is the first manufacturer to offer this service direct to its consumers. “We are the first car manufacturer to offer a digital sales solution for the entire product range and the full end-to-end buying or leasing process online. Now, the customer can do it all from the comfort of their home. The integration of the BMW Genius via live chat and retailer messaging functions where the customer is able to get personalized support in real time, makes this system unique and a new benchmark for the automotive industry,” said member of the board of sales and marketing at BMW.