Lexus Difference: Improving Car Shopping For Women, Minorities and Millennials

In an era of the evolving consumer, dealers and automakers are trying to figure out how to market to specific audiences. From Gen X to Millennials, the question of how to reach a certain group is often answered with campaigns engineered to target new customers that make up a certain group of shoppers. However for Lexus, it’s going a step further. The luxury automaker from Japan would like to successfully market to women, millennials and minorities.

The initiative is called Lexus Difference. It’s going to be an optional program that the automaker hopes will improve their dealership customer experience. While the program does include minority groups and millennials, the main target appears to be women. According to Peggy Turner, the VP of Customer Service at Lexus, when it comes to car shopping, women have a lot of influence. In an interview with Fast Company, Turner said, “Women hold 80% of the influence in a purchasing decision. Whether she’s making the decision or not, she’s definitely going to influence the decision. The man doesn’t really care whom you’re addressing, but women feel left out.” In order to help women not feel left out, Lexus dealers are doing what they can to make women and the aforementioned groups their focus.

This customer experience overhaul is designed to help women; minority groups and millennials feel more comfortable at a dealership. It starts with the scent. According to FastCompany, Lexus partnered with a Japanese perfumery in order to develop a signature dealership smell. When customers enter the store the goal is for the scent to catch their attention, enhance their experience and give them a positive smell memory of the store. This was done previously at the Ritz Carlton and Four Seasons hotels. The scent will be distributed in machines that dealers can add to their showroom if they want the signature scent as part of their Lexus Difference package. However, that’s one part that they will have to foot the bill for.

If having a custom scent wasn’t enough, some stores are taking things even further. Certain dealerships will reportedly offer spa treatments and yoga session for customers while they wait. If spa and yoga options sound like details, they are. This program appears to be all about the components, which lead to a more positive customer experience. As Turner pointed out, the channel that your TV is on can make an impact on customers. Speaking to FastCompany, Turner said, “You have a TV in the waiting area. What channel do you have it on? Our studies show it’s HGTV.” Dealers are also being encouraged to change a traditional doughnut waiting room offering to more healthy choices such as fresh fruit. While the changes that have been mentioned can be influential, they won’t mean nearly as much if the dealership staff aren’t onboard. This is precisely why new training is slated to take place.

The staff training is starting with how they look. Lexus has reportedly partnered with a designer to make uniforms look more modern. However, the real change is meant to come with how employees interact with the three target groups, especially women. FastCompany reported three things that Lexus dealership staff are supposed to remember when working with women. Those three things are, “Acknowledge the women in a group first. Wait three beats before replying to make sure somebody has finished speaking. Follow up with a call or email when you say you will.” The dealership initiative has also encouraged employees to make an effort to shake the hand of all women who come in the store just as much as men. Apparently some sales consultants struggled to know if women who came into the store wanted a handshake or not.

A major question for dealers is, what is this going to cost me? While this program is not mandatory, 90 percent of Lexus dealerships nationwide are expected to join the initiative. The automaker will pay for the staff training and marketing costs, however, dealers will still need to pay for the scent machine and new uniforms.