A can of soda, a packet of cigarettes . . . and a spanking new Maserati. China’s Alibaba is upping the stakes in the world of vending machines, promising to make buying a car “as easy as buying a can of Coke”.The mega vending machine, expected next year, serves as a fresh symbol of China’s consumerism and the global zeitgeist for instant gratification. Buyers will be able to browse cars on their smartphones, press the buy button, and the car will be disgorged at ground level from a vertical display tower.Yu Wei, general manager of the automotive division on Alibaba’s Tmall ecommerce platform, said the era of online car shopping had already arrived and the new automotive retail model “will make buying cars as easy as buying a can of Coke”, he told Alibaba’s news service. Alibaba is spearheading its new retail model across sectors, blending online shopping with physical stores to offer consumers more choices and, crucially, collate ever more data that can be looped back to encourage them to spend more.It’s like going to a jewellery shop or an Apple storeGary Hong, Autobahn MotorsHowever, the company will not be the first to sell cars from a vending machine. Singaporean used-car seller Autobahn Motors set up a futuristic 15-storey showroom in December, dubbing it the “world’s largest luxury car vending machine”, while Carvana has built more modest versions in Tennessee and Texas.
Source: www.ft.com
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