C4DI's newest company member Rockar is disrupting the way we buy cars by creating a customer experience that is tailored to the individual.
Pairing a dynamic online platform with a new approach to car showrooms, the Yorkshire-based team has successfully embraced a world where instant gratification is the norm.
"We've taken the car-buying experience online and given the power back to the consumer," Jenny Taylor of Rockar explains.
"With our online platform, you can do everything you need to do to purchase your new set of wheels: play around with your budget, add customisations, book a test drive, check stock and even apply for finance - all with or without stepping into a showroom or talking to a salesperson."
Established in 2012 by Simon Dixon, Rockar has gone from strength-to-strength, becoming an award-winning authority in the car retail omnichannel space.
"We've helped brands, including Hyundai, Jaguar Land Rover, Ford and Mitsubishi, to empower their customers to buy online and facilitate the creation of their own stores."
Rockar has identified the main customer pain points of buying a car and designed a user journey around the consumer.
"The second part to our disruption is putting cars in familiar settings, such as shopping centres, rather than out-of-town showrooms," she continues.
"This has enabled us to raise people’s awareness and help them realise that they can afford a new car. We've made the experience accessible."
The passionate team has helped Mitsubishi open a store in Lakeside, Essex and supported Ford to open a ‘store within a store’ inside Next at the Arndale Centre, Manchester.
"Customers can have their current car serviced whilst they shop, or they can pop into our store to have a chat with one of our Angels - who are trained as product experts and not pushy salespeople”
Rockar is a key franchised retailer of Jaguar Land Rover, with their world showcase, full omnichannel experience store based in Stratford Westfield, London.
"It's here where we collect and analyse customer behaviour data to continually understand and react to what our customers want," Jenny tells us.
"We have found some really interesting trends. Thanks to our disruption, we've seen a rise in female customers, as well as a drop in the age of people buying a new car. It's great to see more people feeling empowered to buy their own vehicles."
Another trend Rockar has discovered is that people want their cars now and don't necessarily wish to wait six months for bespoke customisations.
Their adaptable process also allows them to connect with car enthusiasts who do want to talk about their exciting new purchase and explore the customisation options.
That's the beauty of a user-led process, it's flexible and can be adjusted around the customer behaviour learnings.
"We're very excited to join C4DI and meet the rest of the community. We're continually developing our technology and I'm looking forward to seeing our relationship with C4DI evolve."
Rockar's founder Simon Dixon is set to host a LunchNLearn session at C4DI very soon.
To find out more, please visit the Rockar website.