Customer Engagement and Convenience: Autoparts Retailer Case Study

You visit an auto parts retailer because you’re interested in looking for a new set of winter tires. You’ve done some research on the web. Before you visited the shop, you had gone to their website and entered some information, including your first name, cell number, and the type of car you have. You then received a link to information on tire options and pricing. You also received a time-limited 15% discount coupon for a new set of tires, which is why you ended up visiting this new tire shop. Since it is still October, you figure you have at least another few weeks before you have to make a decision.

When you walk into the shop you hear an audio message with the latest weather news: it is warning of a twelve-inch snowfall that is very likely to happen this evening. The message indicates that if you are interested in getting free installation with your tires, then all you have to do is send a quick text to shortcode ‘8473’ with the keyword ’tire’. You send the text, and you quickly get a text message back indicating that since you’d visited the website before, you get both the 15% discount and the free tire installation special. The text gives you a choice of choosing your own tires, or sitting down with a specialist to get some help in making your choice. You choose the latter and get a quick text back with your reference number, which is announced a few minutes later.