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Automobile industry

General Motors Unveils GM BuyPower, a Revolutionary National Online Shopping and Purchasing Initiative

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

General Motors has taken a significant step forward in e-commerce by announcing the nationwide roll-out of GM BuyPower, a comprehensive online shopping and purchasing initiative. This innovative program, available at www.gmbuypower.com, allows customers to shop for and buy new GM vehicles over the Internet, giving them unprecedented access to dealer inventory, third-party competitive comparison charts, and direct communication with a certified manager at the dealership. The initiative is expected to launch in all 50 states in the first quarter of 1999.

Key Takeaways:

  • GM BuyPower is the first manufacturer initiative of its kind, enabling consumers to shop and buy a new GM vehicle over the Internet.
  • The comprehensive Web site provides direct online access to GM dealer inventories, which are updated every morning, and a range of services, including scheduling a test drive, asking a dealer to hold or locate a specific vehicle, and obtaining the dealer's best purchase price on a selected vehicle.
  • GM BuyPower differentiates itself from other online automotive services by not locking consumers into geographic exclusivity, ensuring that customers have the optimum in choice and convenience.
  • The initiative will be spearheaded by Ron Sobrero, General Sales and Service Manager, Chevrolet Motor Division, and Ann Noel Blakney, Director of GM's Consumer Marketing Initiative.
  • GM BuyPower received more than 670,000 unique visits in its first ten months as a test pilot in four states, with users spending on average 11 minutes online.
  • More than 60 percent of the dealers in the Western region took advantage of the service, and consumers made more than 300,000 online searches for GM BuyPower Dealers.

Statistics:

  • 670,000 unique visits to the GM BuyPower Web site in its first ten months as a test pilot.
  • Users spent an average of 11 minutes online on the site.
  • 60 percent of the dealers in the Western region took advantage of the service.
  • More than 300,000 online searches for GM BuyPower Dealers.
  • 35 percent of GM buyers in the four-state pilot who used the Internet to purchase a vehicle.

Sources:

  • General Motors press release, September 28, 1998.
  • General Motors, www.gmbuypower.com.

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