Sell More Wheels with New Vision Wheel Augmented Reality App
Image being able to virtually “try on” each large investment before purchasing. Some optical stores allow for customers to download an app and take photos of their bare face to then swipe through different glasses placed on their selfie. And a few furniture stores have online platforms that let consumers digitally create their living room and try out new couch styles and sizes in their house.
Vision Wheel is taking this idea to the automotive space with the recently released Vision-It App. The app allows users to virtually see what their vehicle would look like with different wheel styles before ever making a decision. Not only has this new technology helped customers with deciding on wheels they want to buy, but has become a powerful sales tool to shops and salesmen in the industry.
Growing Virtual Inventory
Traditionally when a customer sets out for new wheels, they walk into a shop to physically see the inventory on the wall. This provides a limitation to both the customer and the shop. The space on the wall can only showcase a sparse amount of wheel styles, limiting the options for the customer and potentially losing a sale if they don’t see a style they like. The display wall also isn’t conducive to staying up-to-date with new wheel designs.
“We're fresh with our styles—last year we came out with more than 20 new designs, and we're doing something similar this year,” John Mathew, COO at Vision Wheel says. “Each retailer has to keep changing out those wheels on the walls—it's difficult and takes a long time.”
If a customer does see a wheel that they like, more time is taken as the shop employee changes out the wheels to show the customer what they will look like on their vehicle. This process could happen two or three times until the customer sees one they like—wasting time for both parties.
“We can still support wall displays for those who want it, but an easier way to showcase designs is to provide an easy-to-use visualizer,” Mathew explains.
To solve these challenges and provide a simpler and faster way for shop operators to sell, and customers to buy, Vision Wheel released the Vision-It App.
Easy-To-Use Visualizer
The Vision-It App is free to Android and Apple users, and can be used on either a phone or a tablet for both customers and shop employees alike.
Once the app is downloaded, the user simply chooses their wheel type depending on the vehicle. The app then accesses the user’s camera, allowing them to physically go out to the vehicle, hold the device in front of it, and choose different wheel designs to virtually see on the actual car or truck. The user can actually move around the vehicle and zoom in and out to visually see the new wheels.
“We tried to make the app very simple so that the software can work fast and quickly allow the user to get an idea of what the wheels would look like,” Mathew says.
Changing the wheels through the app is now a whole lot simpler than before, and only involves moving a slider bar to select different styles. The finish can also be altered and changed through the app.
“Customers can either use the app themselves, or the salesperson behind the counter can help the process with a tablet or phone,” Mathew explains.
Handheld Sales Tool
Since the release of the Vision-It App last year, it has become a useful tool for shops to sell more wheels and further grow their sales.
Employees are able to walk out to the customer’s vehicle with them, pull up the app, and show them exactly what their vehicle would look like with different wheel styles. This saves the shop time and ultimately money, as well as provides a way for salesmen to show wheel designs that they may not have in the shop at the moment. Customers can also send screenshots from the app to quickly get the opinion of their spouse or friends before actually moving forward with the installation.
Another way shops can take advantage of the Vision-It App is by virtual showing customers what their vehicle would look like if there weren't any nicks or worn-off paint on their wheels. Seeing a visualization of their vehicle with a new set of wheels could potentially spark an interest that would not have risen without the virtual image.
“This is a completely free app that we're seeing a great adoption of out in the field,” Mathew says.
To learn more about the Vision-It App or Vision Wheel, please visit visionwheel.com. The Vision-It App can be found for free on both the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.