Buying a Car and the Lesson for Small Business Owners
Most people have experiences as consumers that they simply don’t like. Nonetheless, they often have to deal with anyway.
From the business perspective, improving customer service often means easing the discomfort or reducing pain points for customers. As the voice said to Ray in Field of Dreams, “Ease his pain.”
As for me, one of the undertakings I’ve never enjoyed is the process of buying a car. From start to finish, not fun. That’s why my latest vehicle purchase was done with Carvana. I searched and financed from home, and the vehicle was delivered to the house. It was the best car-buying experience of my life.
The metaverse and AI are pointing things further in the right direction. Consider a report from the Los Angeles Business Journal titled “Cars in the Metaverse.” I was intrigued.
It was reported, “MeetKai, a Marina del Rey-based AI company, has partnered with the tech and automotive company BYD to create a virtual car dealership in the metaverse.”
Yes!
The experience was explained as follows:
“Upon entering the current version of BYD World, users move their avatar through a 3-D car dealership. From there, they can interact with the BYD cars on display and experience what it’s like to open a sunroof, close doors and use a car’s voice control system. The site also features a way to test-drive the cars, complete with realistic engine sounds and racetrack physics… MeetKai’s technology creates digital renditions of the cars to make an infinite number of interactions possible. More than simply creating fun and engaging consumer experiences, Kaplan’s goal is to figure out how to make someone feel as if they’re truly inside a car.”
This is a great lesson for small business owners. What are obstacles, including dislikes, for your customers, and how can technology, such as AI and the metaverse, solve or reduce those problems?
And of course, it doesn’t just have to be pain points. What do your customers enjoy, and how can those experiences be built upon and expanded?
Leaps forward in technology can be intimidating, but if entrepreneurs push past the unease factor, new opportunities can flourish.
