With all the luxury, capability, and poise that the 2022 Wagoneer family brings to the table, a thing that is often overlooked is how Jeep will have dealers go through the formal process of delivering a Wagoneer to consumers, which not only goes in a noticeably different direction from other Jeep models but also serves as an example of Jeep marketers making a note of current sales techniques.
Taking Inspiration From European Rivals
Before the arrival of the 2022 Wagoneer, the delivery experience for many Jeep models roughly reflected what you would see in a typical and trope-filled buying experience. You go to the dealer, do a test drive, cross your “T’s and “I”s in the legal paperwork, then you get to go home in your new ride. This almost assembly-line style of buying has been around for ages in domestic brands. But, unfortunately, while it helps get sales out the door, it also lacks any form of special distinction (high-performance models like the Corvette excluded.)
Walk into a Land Rover dealership or any other European brand showroom for that matter, and the buying experience is radically different. While some of the core aspects are the same, minor differences aim to enhance customer satisfaction. For instance, the waiting room might have furniture with high-quality materials, upscale food, or even designer water bottles. The interaction between customer and salesperson is different, too, emphasizing building consumer rapport and long-term buying relationships.
With the Wagoneer undoubtedly targeting Land Rover and other ritzy contenders, Jeep knew that it had to completely rethink the buying experience to make the Wagoneer feel like an exceptional upgrade, especially in pricing. That’s why the off-road brand created what it calls the Wagoneer Certified program to truly make these customers special. A key feature is 10 customer promises that serve as pillars for the buying experience; however, we will be focusing on three key ones that should catch your attention when you visit your local Jeep dealer.
Wagoneer Has An Ambassador On Staff
Ever had an experience where you walked into a showroom where either the salesperson clearly had no clue what they were talking about regarding a model, or even that individual being outclassed by the sales porter? Well, Jeep has the answer to that problem by only allowing specially trained Wagoneer Ambassadors to sell the vehicle. Jeep claims that each of these Ambassadors will have over 90 hours of specialized product training that exclusively targets the Wagoneer and its luxury-laden Grand Wagoneer sibling.
This specialized training is very similar to the product training that occurs at some rival showrooms. The idea here is to make the Ambassador a reliable go-to person for knowledge about the model and solutions to some of the common problems that might pop up during the ownership experience. Jeep claims that customers can also make one-on-one appointments with an Ambassador to go over all aspects of the acquisition process, including on the sales end and the service side. This helps create exclusivity and makes the customer feel like they are getting something distinctly different from other Jeep models. Oh, and not all Jeep dealerships will be selling the Wagoneer, with the brand only selecting certain ones that are willing to do everything the Wagoneer program requires.
An All-Digital Playground For Your Imagination
The days of dealerships offering paper brochures are slowly becoming a thing of the past, with many brands opting for digitized sales material. In addition, many high-end dealerships go one step further by offering dedicated areas that allow customers to look over key features and configure their purchase with a digital assistant. Jeep is wading into this territory for the first time and will offer a similar experience for Wagoneer buyers.
The fore-mentioned Ambassador will play a key role in this regard, and Jeep actually goes a step further by perhaps being one of the first brands to offer portable tablet technology for customers to use. Beating even Land Rover to the punch in this regard, the tablets allow customers to literally walk around a physical Wagoneer in real-time and lets them compare select features to a virtual equivalent on the screen. This allows Jeep to be roughly on par with Cadillac and Lincoln, which offer similar buying experiences for both the Escalade and the Navigator. Look for this particular link in the buying chain to potentially benefit from evolving technology in the future, especially with new configuration software or even slicker tablets.
Home Delivery And Pickup A Key Objective For Wagoneer
The third and final key promise on prominent display is home pickup and delivery of your Wagoneer. While this particular promise is evident in the sales process, we will instead focus on what that means for the service side of a dealership. Service plays a prominent role in any dealership. While the sales floor helps draw customers in, the service side helps maintain a vehicle and pumps the lifeblood that makes or breaks an ownership experience. Some of Wagoneer’s rivals offer complimentary home pick up and delivery, which is great for customers who might be too busy to physically visit a dealer or those who prefer privacy.
I experienced this side of it during my early years in the dealer world. Some customers actually prefer this method of interaction versus the traditional service visit. The Wagoneer will be the latest member of this club, and here it largely follows in the footsteps of some of its rivals, with Jeep promising that it will be washed and fully detailed before it’s returned to you. Jeep even claims that any personal settings will be restored to the time when the Wagoneer was originally picked up. However, expect that to only apply in certain repair situations.
Look for the 2022 Wagoneer lineup to make its way to showrooms later this year with a base Series II model starting at $68,590 with a base Grand Wagoneer ringing in with a slightly higher entry price of $87,590. Jeep also released the official online configurator for both models, which you can check out here at this link.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.