Kia launches live stream showroom in Nigeria

By Rasheed Bisiriyu

Kia Motors Nigeria has announced the launch of a Live Stream Showroom, a new online platform that offers customers an access to personalised virtual viewings of their best-in-class cars from the company.

The automaker said the new Live Stream Showroom platform was introduced in Nigeria as part of the boundless initiative of company to improve the showroom experience and bring it close to the people at the comfort of their homes.

According to a statement by the company’s Marketing Manager, Jimoh Olawale, the Live Stream Showroom offers a completely digital, online platform that allows anyone or customers using a smartphone to have a live video session with Kia showroom for a digital experience tailored meeting their individual needs.

“Customers will receive a one-on-one consultation with live responses to questions, and explore the design and features of their chosen model, answer to the customer queries and see demonstrations of new technology and functionality on demand,” it stated.

The COVID-19 pandemic, Kia noted, had disrupted the daily lives of people in the past few months, adding that the disruption was not over yet.

The auto firm said there was therefore a need to constantly adapt and find new and creative ways of performing everyday tasks and inspecting a car was no exception.

Kia said, “It’s no surprise that the newly launched Kia live stream showroom is best suited at this time that there is even more emphasis on alternative sales channels and people are increasingly conducting their research from the comfort of their homes and even turning to online platform car buying for the safest possible experience.”

It stressed that the new platform prioritised customer convenience and would ensure a seamless digital experience, which would be the same as a physical showroom visit.

It added that this commitment towards customer value-led innovations came as the company established its leadership position globally in the future automotive industry under its Plan S strategy.

The statement said, “Live Stream Showroom demonstrates our continued commitment to tailoring the car-buying journey and ownership experience to the demands of our customers with virtual viewings.

“By launching this new platform, we aim to stay ahead of the curve in digital sales and marketing in this time of transition.”

The idea, it explained, was born out of a research, noting that a recent consumer demand showed a strong indication that customers were looking to take more of the car-buying journey online.

“The recent data collected by Kia globally shows that 83 per cent of consumers prefer to carry out product research online before making a purchase, while 47 per cent of consumers expressed interest in using online platforms for future purchases.

“As a customer-centric leading auto company in Nigeria, Kia has been over the years been at the fore of a more modern and digital customer experience when other automakers were heavily rooted in the traditional brick and mortar showroom-visit,” Kia said.

It also stated that the launch of its omnichannel customer acquisition through different online platforms; live chats, social media, responsive contact centre, automated email marketing had formed the fulcrum of the company’s customer engagement over the years.

It explained that the Kia Live Stream Showroom application could be accessed via the company’s website, www.kiamotorsnigeria.com under the ‘Buying Tools’ navigation menu.