A U.S. tire store chain has unveiled a retail concept that integrates the latest in technologies and customer experience approaches, all under one roof.
The Discount Tire Pit Pass concept is a new retail experience designed to integrate technologies, including embedded tire scanners, digital displays, online ordering, and appointment-focused booking, with speedy tire and wheel services from the comfort of a customer’s vehicle in a drive-thru experience.
Discount Tire announced the Atlanta metro area as the location of its first Pit Pass concept store.
The initial Discount Tire Pit Pass concept store is in Flowery Branch, Georgia, just south of the intersection of Interstate 985 and Highway 53.
The Discount Tire Pit Pass concept store features an approximate 5,000-square-foot ground floor footprint and 2,600 square feet of subsurface workspace and is markedly different from the traditional tire shop.
As customers enter a drive-thru lane with a covered canopy, they are greeted by a Discount Tire employee to confirm the services scheduled and are then guided by the employee and digital displays to one of three bays.
Similar to a racetrack pit crew and fully visible to the customer, Discount Tire’s expert technicians are using the latest technologies, including embedded tire scanners that evaluate tread depth and tire condition and Zebra mobile devices to complete services.
Digital displays give each customer’s vehicle status in real time and allow tire technicians to share updates and product or service recommendations. The entire experience will enable customers the option to remain in their vehicle.
“Our goal is to meet the busy lifestyle of today’s modern customer and get them taken care of faster and with more personal convenience,” said Tom Williams, chief experience officer at Discount Tire. “The new Pit Pass concept store is a great testament to innovation that follows putting the customer first, just as we have done for decades to offer an inviting, easy, and safe experience.”
Customers visiting the Discount Tire Pit Pass concept store are encouraged to shop for tires and wheels online and to book an appointment in advance using the Discount Tire mobile app or DiscountTire.com to save time.
Customers who prefer to shop on-site can visit the Discount Tire Pit Pass concept store, drive over the embedded tire scanners, and receive information about their tires’ condition.
The digital displays in the drive-thru experience give customers access to Discount Tire’s exclusive tire guide, Treadwell, which can provide customers with a self-guided experience and the same personalized recommendation they would receive from an associate.
Discount Tire’s Pit Pass concept store also offers a new experience for customers who need their tire pressure checked.
With after-hours functionality, customers can receive a digital readout of their tire conditions from the displays in the drive-thru experience and make informed decisions about tire maintenance, replacement, or scheduling a service appointment.
“The expansion of the buy-online trend for tire and wheel purchases creates an opportunity to test new ways to meet the changing needs customers expect today. Pit Pass allows us to meet these needs and potentially change the traditional tire, wheel, and service experience moving forward,” said Williams.
For more information, visit discounttire.com/pitpass.
Another way to mess up our industry and give the driving public a false sense of security. I have seen it over and over again, where a customer will buy a set of tires and leave with broken springs, bad brakes, low crankcase oil, plugged filters etc. We need locations that are full service facilities and look after the vehicles properly!