|| After installing large LED displays on the walls inside auto plants for General Motors and Chrysler, Robby Dhillon is taking his digital signage to the other end of the spectrum — dealership showrooms.
The new digital walls will offer more than vehicle production rates or color codes. The dealership platform will include 3-D imaging capabilities to allow consumers to virtually design and order a new car or truck. “People can create it, save it, email it to themselves, or socially share their (vehicle) configuration,” says Dhillon, founder and president of Rockstar Digital Inc. in Sterling Heights.
Modeled after Audi City, a dealership in London that pairs multitouch kiosks and video walls for customers who want to design their new wheels digitally, Dhillon says the setup can save dealerships money because fewer vehicles need to be stored on-site.
“I got the idea for the video walls in the plants,” he says. “The workers were using the video walls for meetings, presentations, and training, so I thought: ‘Why not bring that kind of usage to the dealership floor?’ You could also install them in a store in a shopping mall — and it doesn’t have to be (just) for cars; you could also use it to sell (new) homes.”
According to officials at Audi City, new car sales jumped 60 percent since the new technology was installed earlier this year. What’s more, 50 percent of the customers in the new digital showroom ordered a vehicle without ever taking a physical test drive.
“We’re working with one automaker right now to bring the technology to the U.S.,” Dhillon says. “We need the specs for the vehicles, and with our custom software, we can create the 3-D modeling. The consumer winds up the winner, because the vehicles will be easier to order and conceive.” — R.J. King
