Porsche
Cars North America announced a new way for consumers to do more than just
“kick the tires” when they visit a Porsche dealership after hours, or
when they prefer to be “just looking” while in the showroom.

Shoppers
now have the power to see, read and even hear the inside story about Porsche
vehicles on display at participating Porsche dealers, whenever it suits their
busy schedules. The new program, a first for an automotive luxury brand, taps
into the technology of mobile tags
and smartphone tag readers adding rich content and interactive functionality
for a high-performance, personalized shopping experience.

Each
scan of a mobile tag-equipped Porsche automatically opens a micro website
utilizing the phone’s built in web browser and features a wealth of specific
product information to the exact car being browsed, including vehicle videos,
leading press reviews and even the unique sound of the Porsche model’s engine.
A customer can also provide contact information for fast follow-up by a Porsche
sales professional, or can browse anonymously.

“Porsche
customers enjoy both performance and technology and are using their mobile
devices to help make vehicle purchasing decisions,” said Michael Bartsch, chief operating officer of Porsche Cars
North America.

“The
dealers that have begun using mobile tags in their showrooms have noted
positive feedback from their sales team as well as greater customer engagement
and enthusiasm,” Bartsch added.

Since
the launch of a pilot program in early June, 11 Porsche dealers have already
implemented the program, with 184 on the way. According to a 2009 Morgan
Stanley study, one-third of all digital information is now viewed using mobile
devices, and by 2013 that number is expected to reach 50 percent.

“It’s
been quite exciting to serve as a test-dealer for Porsche’s new mobile tags.
The technology affords our customers the opportunity to receive quick,
up-to-the-minute information on our inventory,” says Ken Gorin, president and CEO of THE COLLECTION.

“We
pride ourselves on Event Marketing, so the new program has already proven
especially useful in translating off-site displays into in-dealership sales,”
Gorin added.

In
addition to making the Porsche shopping experience even more
convenient, Porsche has designed new web and mobile tools that help on-the-go
customers quickly locate and connect with dealer sales and service information.

The
latest innovations include Smart Mobile for touch-screen handheld devices,
featuring customized dealership information including available inventory,
special offers and easy driving directions. Also new is a location-based,
mobile version of the Porsche Dealer locator where customers can now find local
dealers, search all dealers nationwide or find their nearest service center via
their smartphone.

Porsche
dealers can now utilize the new SalesPad Apple iPad 2 application to instantly
display and share information on a particular car while also tapping into the
Porsche Car Configurator, which allows the customer to easily custom design the
Porsche of their dreams. The ability to access a library of extensive model
information, including a national inventory search increases the likelihood of
finding the exact Porsche the customer wants, in stock.