ChannelNet created personalized websites for BMW lessees approaching their lease end to encourage them to lease or purchase another BMW vehicle. The websites provided lessees with individualized lease end information and promoted new BMW models. BMW marketing managers could easily update website content without involving IT staff. Starting at 180 days before lease end, lessees received emails with links to their websites, and over 60% of lessees engaged with the first email, helping BMW increase customer retention rates in a cost-effective manner.

1. Case Study
ChannelNet® re-engineers the
lease-end process for BMW.
HIGHLIGHTS The last thing any auto manufacturer wants a of BMW lessees at any given time, the costs
customer to do at the end of their lease is to are substantial to do this the more traditional
• Interactive Media Awards: drive away in another automaker’s vehicle. direct-mail way. But ChannelNet’s proprietary
Outstanding Achievement/ But how do you lure back a customer who SiteBuilder™ technology makes it fast and
Financial Industry Category; may be indecisive, in denial, in shock at what simple to deploy websites, intranets and
Outstanding Achievement/ they still owe on their lease, or all three? web functionalities at a fraction of the typical
Marketing Category cost—giving our clients an affordable way
BMW came to ChannelNet to find a way to to get their solutions to the finish line way
• Individual, personalized websites make the lease-end process less intimidating ahead of the competition.
give each BMW lessee all the for their customers, and to make it more
information they need to complete enticing for them to drive away in a new BMW. Starting at 180 days before the end of a
their leases. The solution—a combination of interactive lease, each lessee periodically receives an
emails and personalized websites—began email message—easily customized by the
• Starting at 180 days before generating exciting results almost BMW staff—alerting them to the approaching
each lease ends, the lessee is immediately. lease-end date and giving them a link to their
introduced to new lease and personalized web page. One mouse click
purchase options. Personalized websites accelerate new brings them to a place where they find:
business.
• Well-timed emails keep lessees • Up-to-date information about their contract
well aware of their upcoming need Based on ChannelNet’s Sitebuilder™ • Details about lease-end purchasing options
for a new vehicle. technology, BMW’s new marketing approach and promotions
to capturing customers at the end of their • The opportunity to purchase additional
• Marketing managers can easily leases began with ChannelNet’s idea of miles if they are close to their limit
change websites using point-and- creating an eye-catching, informative, • Information about new BMW models,
click technology, not the IT staff. personalized website for each lessee. products and services
• Information about signing a new lease with
Considering that there are tens of thousands BMW
© 2006 ChannelNet. All Rights Reserved.

2. The idea is to get them to start thinking Still creative after all these years.
seriously about their next car well in advance
of the end of their lease. Clearly it’s working, As with all of our clients, ChannelNet
since at least 25% of lessees respond to their approached BMW’s business challenge with
first e-mail message from BMW—and that’s a combination of strategic thinking, creativity
at the 180-day mark! The emails are repeated and technology. And this isn’t the first time
with increasing urgency at 90, 60 and 30 we’ve driven innovative solutions for this
days, and so far over 48% of customers are client.
bookmarking them for further action.
ABOUT CHANNELNET
For 21 years ChannelNet has created
multichannel solutions that help
companies sell complex products and
services through traditional sales
channels. Each solution is developed
with its patent-pending software
product, ChannelNet SiteBuilder™,
which significantly reduces the costs
Saving money while driving new sales. Back in 1985, ChannelNet created the world’s
and development time of custom first interactive computer sales tool for
solutions. As a full-service company, In the past, BMW has used direct mail and BMW by installing a computer kiosk in their
ChannelNet also offers expert telemarketing to reach lease-end customers, Manhattan art gallery. The kiosk allowed
professional services for everything expensive methods of contact that brought customers to browse through BMW’s entire
from multichannel sales strategies
only middling results. Now, because over product line—looking at models and colors,
and best practices to dedicated
solution support. The privately- 60% of their leaseholders can be reached and comparing specs, warranties and
held company is based outside San via email, BMW is getting far more mileage mileage.
Francisco in Mill Valley, California, from its marketing budget while increasing its
with offices in Detroit, Michigan. customer retention rate. Now, over 20 years later, we have come
full circle, as we again use the power of
ChannelNet Even better, SiteBuilder™ makes it easy technology to create yet another cutting-edge
for non-technical staff to manage the site interactive sales tool for the makers of the
100 Shoreline Hwy. content, giving BMW’s business group Ultimate Driving Machine. Like the BMW, our
Building B, Suite 300 control over the look, feel and branding of
Mill Valley, CA 94941 business models come in all sizes, shapes
each page. The sales and marketing staff can and colors—and they will get you where you
Tel. 800-677-6858
Fax 415-332-1635 easily change the messaging as fast as they want to go very, very fast.
get their new ideas, without having to rely
Email: sales@channelnet.com on the IT or design staff. They can even add
www.channelnet.com new promotions, such as a recent effort to get
customers to sign up for a BMW credit card.
© 2006 ChannelNet. All Rights Reserved.