BMW borrows 'Genius' Apple idea | CarAdvice

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BMW borrows ‘Genius’ Apple idea

By David Zalstein |
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BMW will introduce a Product Genius into its retail stores replicating Apple’s Genius Bar that provides expert advice at any Apple retail store.

BMW announced the program as part of its new Future Retail concept launched at the grand opening of its first new BMW Brand Store in Avenue George V in Paris.

BMW says the role of the Product Genius is to better support customers with in-depth product knowledge and assist them to better utilise and configure products for their specific needs. The Product Genius will employ a state of the art Information Management System on a tablet device allowing mobile product configuration and detailed explanations of features through visual aids.

BMW is not a lone in this renewed focus on customers with Forbes reporting that Cadillac is learning service tips from the service-first Ritz-Carlton hotel chain, Lincoln has hired Les Clefs d’Or, an international association of hotel concierges, to consult on putting together what the brand is calling the Lincoln Academy and Lexus already initiating its new Product and Delivery Specialists.

BMW will be hoping the Product Genius program helps to entice customers away from the other luxury German brands Mercedes-Benz and Audi, especially coming off the initially negative public response to BMW’s complicated iDrive interface system.

BMW says its objective for Future Retail is three-fold: to increase the number of possible contact points with customers and prospects, to increase the services and benefits offered in its retail channels, and to enhance the retail experience at all touch points. Member of the Board of Management of BMW AG, Sales and Marketing Ian Robertson, said, “The world of retail has changed significantly – customer behaviour, needs and expectations have changed, as well as communication technology.”

Product Genius is set to start rolling out as part of Future Retail as it expands into France before the UK, China and the Netherlands.


 

  • Shak

    My local Holden dealer has had this idea forever. They call it a salesperson. 
    P.S No one working in an Apple store is a genius in any product.

    • Able

      Most salesmen wouldn’t be able to tell you how to turn your Holden on Shak, let alone connect the Bluetooth to your iPhone or play with the settings; imagine a BMW. Seems like a great idea to me!

      And yes, I have Apple everything (except the iPad; tablets are stupid).

      • Doctor

        No tablets are not stupid – its just that no one has brought one out with a proper version of Linux yet. When you can do what you can on a Linux netbook on a tablet then they’ll be the bees knees. ‘Till then I’ll stick with my EeePC 901.

      • Viv R

        Agree.  You would think seeing as these lazy buggers sit around doing nothing for much of the week between customers they could at least read the Manual, have a look under the bonnet or do some research on the web.

        • Stevo

          There is more gender equality these days.  There are now stupid female sales people to match the stupid men.

          Pity for the poor girl that has to try and sell you paint and fabric/leather protection at the end.  Surely no one is stupid enough to buy that crap and girl the dealer $1000+ straight back?

      • Shak

        So do i. The iPad does what i want it to, im not expecting it to cook dinner, so its perfect for what i need. Your generalisation of Holden dealers is probably true, but seriously this just seems like a glorified salesman with Google in his hand to look stuff up when a customer asks.

    • Sydlocal

      After my own personal experience it is just a shame that Holden dealers don’t seem to know anything about after sales service. This is from more than one dealer too. It also something that in my experience BMW seem to do much better, and don’t use the old excuse “but you would expect that because of how much more expensive they are”. IMHO there is no excuse for poor after sales service, brand should have nothing to do with it…

    • Ben

      Spot on Shak..

      Apple store Genius.. Bwahahahahaahhaahaha. That is funny. They are just salespeople like any other. I can’t believe people really fall for this marketing. Now that is the genius part right there… Picking the lack of critical thinking among the general public, or at least the iSheeple.

      So it is now official.. The BMW is confirmed to be for Sheeple too.

  • Drac

    First question I would ask, why does a cat converter on a 4 cylinder car cost $2400 in parts alone?

    • Tom

      Full of platinum and rare earth metals.

  • Bert Kaemfert Rocks

    Hmmm, so what is the salesperson for?
    In my experience most sales staff know jack about the product they are selling. Huh, what’s a DPF? Timing Chain or Belt? What is the urban cycle fuel consumption? 6.9 combined; 91 RON, whats that? The list goes on… Depressing.

    • Birty_B

      The knowledge of most salespeople reflects the curiosity of the general public. Just as most people who want to know whether a car has a timing belt or timing chain already know before they walk into a showroom. 99% of people don’t car about the thickness of the brake rotors or what version ABS software it runs.

      • Bert Kaemfert Rocks

        You are right, most punters don’t ask these types of questions. Still, some of us do. It’s not just in car sales, most other areas are the same.

  • Albois

    To Drac, the answer, because they can. But be a clever consumer, buy parts online from USA BMW dealers (some will sell online internationally) or from the several aftermarket parts houses within australia (They are usually supply german parts that are supplied to OEM’s and stamped with their logo). You can save a bundle. I own a BMW and I have saved thousands doing this. 

    • Drac

      I ended up selling the car and buying domestic! Still wanted RWD and all. Loose a bit here and there but gain a bigger engine and MUCH cheaper purchasing and running costs.

  • rightindicator

    Apple doesn’t have monopoly over ideas. Check out Hyundai’s i naming convention as well, i30, iMax…etc. BMW has the iDrive. iDrive is associated with BMW.

  • Lbrinsmead

    There’s no real geniuses in Apple stores, just people who know a lot more about Apple stuff than 95% of the customers.