I had a great chat with a bicycle retailer just before the new year regarding the rise of the mobile mechanic. I’ve heard more than a couple of retailers express concern about Velofix and Beeline as threats. Mobile repair isn’t a new idea at all, but combining a great online booking system and the repair-shop-in-a-van is a solid model that is definitely worth watching. I think both of these companies will find great success over the long haul because of their customer-centric approach.
Working with this retailer, we distilled the appeal of the mobile bike mechanic down to this (note that it is almost exactly Velofix’s marketing slogan): The customer saves time and rides more.
To add some more details, here are some assertions about why this model appeals to the customer:
- The customer cares that it is easy and transparent to book a service.
- The customer cares that it is done professionally (on-time and accurate).
- The customer cares that they can put in a minimum time investment to execute on 1 and 2.
- The customer is probably willing to pay a premium for this reduced time investment.
Now, when you look at it like that simply, it begs the question:
“Are you, the retailer, keeping pace with those customer desires?”
My retailer friend and I did some math and determined that, even in his expensive and densely populated area, he could break even on a company van by charging a very reasonable delivery fee (or by simply raising service rates slightly across the board). Add an online calendar into the mix and, voila!, you have met the customer needs.
Making customers happier and countering a perceived threat? It doesn’t get much better than that.
Happy New Year to all.