Challenge
To deliver the luxury experience their customers expect, Mercedes-Benz of Bowling Green needed a digital retail solution to eliminate the constant back-and-forth with buyers while showcasing a professional presentation and sleek UI.
Solution
While the dealership had implemented a digital retail tool with online and in-store capabilities in the past, customers were required to restart the entire experience once they came in-store, even if they previously filled out their information online. This friction tacked hours onto the deal or even resulted in lost deals in some cases.
Jerry Cousin, General Manager at Mercedes-Benz of Bowling Green, had previously worked for a dealer group that was in the process of transitioning to Upstart Auto Retail and was impressed by the connected experience. With its Online Retail, In-Store Digital Retail and AI-Powered Financing, Upstart allowed customers to shop where and when they wanted to while giving sales access to all the information they needed, to help their customers complete the buying process with less friction.
Results
With Upstart’s strong support and communication, Mercedes-Benz of Bowling Green was able to serve
157 customers
using the in-store product in the first month alone.
533%
Upstart Auto Retail has led to a 533 percent year-over-year increase in units sold per salesperson per month.
AI-Powered Financing
Mercedes-Benz of Bowling Green looks forward to using Upstart’s AI-powered financing tools that identify the lowest rate in 74% of decisions.
With their dedicated Dealer Success Manager training the sales representatives on the in-store product, the dealership took less than a week to fully adopt the tool. In fact, in its first full month using the in-store product, sales representatives used the iPads with 157 customers.
According to Cousin, the sales team fully embraced the new tool as they recognized it as a differentiator that allowed for increased pricing transparency. Additionally, Cousin explained that Upstart provided strong support and ongoing communication with the team, making the transition more seamless.
Ultimately, the dealership looks forward to evolving its end-to-end, connected experience – “Upstart has enabled us to provide our Mercedes-Benz clients with a first-class luxury experience. Our digital-first approach helps us build trust, increases the speed of the purchase process and increases transparency. It is truly the best of the best when it comes to online and in-store retailing.
This tool is where we’re headed as an industry, and we want to be at the forefront. Upstart Auto Retail is where we needed to go in the luxury business.
More appointments and units sold
By providing continuity throughout customers’ online and in-store journeys, Mercedes-Benz of Bowling Green has fostered a level of transparency and trust from buyers who expect nothing less. As a result, they have seen double the number of customer appointments and a 533 percent year-over-year increase in units sold per salesperson per month from May 2022 to May 2023.
Additionally, since the dealership does a lot of deals outside of Kentucky, Upstart Auto Retail has enabled remote transactions and shipments, allowing the dealership to expand its buyer pool.
Expanding access to credit
Looking to the future, Bowling Green looks forward to implementing AI-Powered Financing, which will allow customers to take out an Upstart-powered loan directly from the online and in-store experience.
Download the full Mercedes-Benz of Bowling Green case study
