Turin, Italy - Is this the beginning of the future for car dealers?
Fiat has opened the world’s first metaverse-powered car dealership for the Italian market, and it allows clients to research, configure and even complete their next car purchase. Check it out here.
But how different is this to a normal website like very other carmaker has? The whole idea here, according to Fiat, is to recreate the feel of a showroom from the comfort of a customer’s home.
Initially customers will be able to buy the brand’s flagship model, 500 La Prima by Bocelli, before the one-of-a-kind experience will be extended to the whole 500 line-up later this month, and then other Fiat models, as well as other markets, in 2023.
The Fiat wasMetaverse Store has been developed in conjunction with Touchcast and Microsoft. Touchcast’s Metaverse-as-a-Service platform is built on the Microsoft Cloud and provides customers with access to the metaverse without requiring VR headsets, avatars or specialised hardware. The result is the synthesis of digital and physical into an immersive experience unlike any other, Fiat says.
Here’s how it works:
The online Fiat Metaverse Store can instantly transport the customer “inside” a Fiat. Once there, the Product Genius, a real person, welcomes the customer and together they can explore the car in sweeping 360-degree views.
During the experience, the user can learn about the car’s technology, address any questions about electrification, recharging and any contents of 500 La Prima by Bocelli.
Customers can also look closely at how the infotainment system functions and how the different driving and EV charging modes work. They can also customise the model by choosing its body, colour, interiors, and any other desired feature before seeing those changes in real-time.
The Product Genius is available Monday to Friday from 9am to 8pm and Saturday from 10am to 6pm.
Additionally, the completely immersive tool allows customers to experience driving 500 La Prima by Bocelli on La Pista 500, the track on the roof of the Lingotto building in Turin.
"At Fiat we are once again the front-runners in offering our customers an innovative and stress-free brand experience. In pure Fiat style, the Metaverse Store is the first-of-its-kind in the automotive sector,” said Fiat CEO Oliver Francois.
“In short, it’s our way of making our customer’s experience tailor made thanks to the interaction with a person and even more simple which is in line with our social mission of meeting people's current need for a simplified life. For the first time, our customers will be able to explore and purchase the 500 La Prima by Bocelli from the comfort of their homes thanks to a human assisted, instantaneous, realistic, and stress-free process,” Francois added.
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