Today, I thought I would check out the Jeep.com website. None of my family members own a Jeep, so I am not very familiar with their products. When I think of a Jeep, I picture 4-wheeling over rugged terrain. I am still driving the 1998 GMC Envoy that my parents bought me when I turned sixteen in 2003. I love owning an SUV, especially when it snows in Duluth. The 4-wheel drive option helps me get out of my parking lot without having to shovel first.
The Jeep.com home page showed a picture of a classy looking silver vehicle. Dianna Huff’s blog post on May 5, 2010, Your Website is Worth More Than a Cup of Coffee, points out that the quality of a company’s website is critical for attracting customers. A website is like a storefront and it either entices you to enter or makes you want to leave.
At first glance, the Jeep website made me want to stay. After looking closely at the silver Jeep, I was drawn to the larger text on the page, which was an incentive offer for $5000 cash allowance or 0% APR for 60 months. Financing plans are considered an incentive to provide extra motivation to initiate a transaction (Roberts, p. 87, 89).
The website screen automatically transitioned from the home page to display a Jeep Wrangler, followed by a Jeep Liberty, and then a Jeep Patriot, and a Jeep Compass, and then back to the silver vehicle. The screen changed every 5 seconds, with the main screen being viewable for 10 seconds. That was a little annoying because I prefer to control my own timing, but all of the vehicles looked nice.
This website provided for value-added service revenue to complement their primary sales offer (Roberts, p. 59). Customers are invited to shop at the Jeep Gear Merchandise Store where you can order gift cards, clothing, toys, and accessories with the Jeep logo. This is probably a great place for a loyal Jeep customer to shop since people love clothing that advertises their favorite brands.
Overall, the Jeep website was effective. It provided the opportunity to review the details of various models, as well as the chance to design a vehicle to personal specifications. It also offered a simple way to find Jeep dealers in any given area. The pictures of the vehicles were impressive, and I would definitely consider a Jeep for my next vehicle - that is, if I could ever afford a new one.
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Great observation on the value added revenue for the complimentary items. It seems like Jeep and Harley-Davidson are both very well known for the extension of their quality brands over to other product. Those more than rugged Jeep radios always have and always will give me good chuckle!
ReplyDeleteDo you think Jeep would be successful by marketing their product to a wider base, or altering their product to compliment a greater variety of drivers??? Not trying to sterotype, but I think we all know who Jeep buyers are, whether that is new or used.
ReplyDeleteJeep has stayed true to their value. It's amazing how a company can stay so rugged, but stay so relevant. The Jeep has moved from the off road to be featured in music videos. They continue to grow, but also stay true to who they are.
ReplyDeleteI'm a Subaru fanatic, and I'm not above getting sucked in by the "value-added" items. Recently they came out with their own line of laundry soap, capitalizing on their active outdoor customer (similar to Jeep's). Nice blog.
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