Shopping on the internet and using Twitter are two widespread and common online activities. A Spanish Twitter user, Raul Escolano, took online shopping a step further and challenged car dealers to sell him a car only using social media, using the hashtag #compraruncocheportwitter (“Buy a car on Twitter”).
A Nissan Dealer (Antamotor) answered his call and even gave him a personal real time tour of a Nissan X-Trail using the Periscope app. Escolano also used social media to help with his decision by posting a poll on Twitter, asking his followers to rate the models he had shortlisted. The X-Trail won with 43% consequently sealing the deal between the Nissan dealer and Escolano.
In order to avoid any physical contact and keep the transaction purely “virtual”, the dealer sent the keys with a courier and Mr. Escolano picked his car up at Nissan’s Spanish headquarters.
This is apparently the first time that a car has been sold via Twitter, at least in Europe, and Nissan didn’t hesitate to share with the world “the tweet smell of success” .
It is not new to buy or sell a car online, there are multiple sites that do this, but asking dealers for a recommendation, getting a personal walkthrough, getting the opinion of your peers and then purchasing the car purely online is new and not a bad idea at all. We are most probably seeing the beginning of new trend that could be expended to an array of other products.
