BMW recently relaunched its Web site with a redesign that enables prospective buyers to effectively build their own customized model online.
The BMW site, www.bmwusa.com, incorporates an interface that permits Web surfers to configure a particular BMW model with more than 130 million options. The site also encourages feedback from prospective buyers about the online content to be read by other site visitors, with the tact of creating an online community among BMW adherents.
“It’s a much more dynamic, build-your-own environment,” said Richard Coughlin, group account director for dotglu, which redesigned the site for BMW.
The customization options are part of an effort to provide more detailed information about particular BMW vehicles, including images, for prospective customers before they visit BMW showrooms. The redesign relied on feedback culled from BMW site visitors over the past two years, Coughlin said.
Since the Dec. 16 relaunch, traffic soared 198% with no advance publicity about the changes, according to Coughlin, who said visitors were spending an average of nearly 10 minutes on the site.
Visitors are encouraged to fill out a profile while on the site, enabling receipt of e-mail messages from BMW, and dotglu is tracking their activities with the intention of fine-tuning the site to accommodate customers.
Later in 2008, dotglu plans to incorporate features to permit direct interaction with BMW dealers and provide more information about dealer-installed accessories.
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