1. GM RESPONDS TO CONSUMER 'INFORMATION OVERLOAD'
DETROIT (PRNewswire) - DETROIT, Aug. 11, 2003 - As General Motors began to revamp GM BuyPower, its online
shopping and buying service, the company first asked consumers what information, functions and services they want when
they prepare to buy a new car or truck.
GM discovered that consumers were looking for a new way to complete their transactions, and used this input to completely
redesign the GM BuyPower web site, which recently launched.
"When we introduced GM BuyPower five years ago, consumers used the Internet to collect as much information as possible
themselves before buying a new vehicle," said Jack Bowen, general director of GM Customer Network, GM's customer
relationship management group.
"Today, consumers tell us they're actually overwhelmed with the sheer volume of available information, which is creating
'information fatigue.' While people still want access to good information, they also want a seamless transition from an online
experience to their experience with our GM dealers. That's exactly what they get with the new release of GM BuyPower."
GM asked Zentropy Partners to help with its customer research, and then to create the site's new look, navigation and
functionality by acting as the lead design and systems integrator. This research overwhelmingly showed that consumers
especially appreciate the concept of the GM BuyPower manager. GM requires that dealers who participate in GM BuyPower
meet a strict set of customer satisfaction standards, including appointing a certified GM BuyPower manager. The GM
BuyPower manager receives extensive training about what online consumers expect when they make the transition from the
web site to the dealer.
"GM BuyPower is actually a communications service, as opposed to merely an information service," said Leo Drew, general
director of strategy, integration and operations with GM Customer Network. "The new site is a complete revision, and
incorporates many dealership suggestions along with the input we received from extensive consumer testing. Everything is
reorganized so that information is easier for people to find and use. It's also easier to communicate with a GM BuyPower
manager at a dealership."
"People perceive the GM BuyPower manager to be an added customer service. They like the idea that there is a specific
person to contact at the dealership who understands where they are in the shopping and buying process and can
seamlessly integrate their offline and online experiences," Drew said.
Now in its fifth year of existence, GM BuyPower delivered about 1 million sales leads to GM dealers and helped them sell
about 200,000 GM vehicles in 2002, according to GM data. Consumers rated the GM BuyPower.com Web site more useful
than other manufacturers' sites in the 2002 J.D. Power and Associates New Autoshopper.com Study(SM). The web site
averages more than 1.5 million visits and more than 3.5 million dealer inventory searches per month.