Maruti Suzuki Genuine Parts

Maruti Suzuki has been transforming the way India moves, by continuously adapting to the ever-changing needs of our customers. Due to these efforts, today Maruti Suzuki is India’s largest car selling network. Maruti Suzuki started revamping their brands such as Nexa, Arena, and True Value. Later in year 2017, Maruti Suzuki decided to transform Maruti Suzuki Genuine Parts.

The Maruti Suzuki Genuine Parts Retail Outlets are a vital part of Maruti Suzuki renowned brand image. They are key in providing quality post-purchase experiences in after-market, as well as convenience to the customer through our widespread availability. The new retail designed for the Maruti Suzuki Genuine Parts was made keeping in mind the brand values. Reliability, Efficiency and Openness are core values of Maruti Suzuki Genuine Parts, to ensure that the customer feels a sense of trust and comfort while visiting Retail Outlets.

The philosophy behind refurbishing Maruti Suzuki Genuine Parts was to provide the customers a smooth ownership experience and easy access to vehicle maintenance. In order words, provide its customers the right part at the right place at the right price and the right time.

Challenge

The extensive brand research brought to light that the short comings of Maruti Suzuki Genuine Parts branding. The brand image wasn’t consistent all over India and dealerships were putting and promoting the brand as per their wish. There wasn’t a specific set of guidelines devised on how to portray the brand image and what were its value and philosophy

The second problem that was exposed in the brand and market research was that when the customers entered the MS Genuine Parts outlet, it looked and felt like a usual spare parts shops existing in the local market, majorly missing over the Maruti Suzuki brand values. The aim was to make Maruti Suzuki Genuine Parts stand out from its competitors because all the shops were located in the auto mobile market, where various players from unorganized sector where also present.

The research revealed that the Maruti Suzuki vehicles were being serviced by the local mechanics available in the market. Due to which they were missing a huge lump of market for their Maruti Suzuki Servicing Brand. Higgs Boson didn’t want the same thing happening to MS Genuine Parts as a result of which they have adapted various provisions to tackle the situation.

IDEA

Higgs Boson and Co came up with the solutions for the above-mentioned problems. At first we decided to fix the branding aspect of MS Genuine Parts. We thought of combining the brand values and what the brand stands for together. Furthermore, we focused on creating a standardized image for the brand, hence came a design outlet of the store which would be adaptable all-around India, and is modular in approach. A comprehensive set of guidelines were made for all the dealership outlets spread across India.

Apart from providing reliable and original spare parts, the MSGP focused on educated the customers regarding the parts used in your vehicles. The concept of ‘Asli Nakli’ was an important step as it demonstrated the difference in an original and fake spare part and how you can differentiate between them. This way the customers knew the spare product they are purchasing is original and of highest quality.

Approach to redesign

While approaching the design of the outlets our major focus was on anthropometry and modularity. Anthropometry is the science of human dimensions which allow us to ensure optimal usage of space while space designing. As the outlets of MSGP were small & limited in space, it was crucial that an efficient use of every square foot within the store was used without causing burden to both customers and workers by not affecting their movement and activity.

Modularity was another aspect which played a crucial role in design approach. As MSGP have more than 480 stores across India, so a similar design expression was essential to showcase a common brand character. Besides that, fitting of various components in different sized store with ease without the need of high skilled labor was fundamental as many remote areas don’t have access to these high skilled labors.

Besides this, the objective behind creating a design outlet was that it was simple yet practical. The goal was to make the process of finding the right part and checking out as efficient as possible and making the whole process transparent. Use of Sustainable materials ensured a balanced aesthetic and better space utilization.

Design outlay A game of Area division

Our team at Higgs Boson & Co divided the new Maruti Suzuki Genuine Parts store into major zones. The two zones were:

Customer Interaction Area (25% of the total outlet space)
Storage (75% of the total outlet space)

Customer Interaction Area

The first point of contact for the potential customers lined with Accessories Units, Back Display Panels, Side Display Panels, Customer Education Display, Display Screen and Front Billing Counter for smooth customer buying and checkout process. For convenience of customers a sitting area, water dispenser, Customer Education Display and dustbin is placed.

The customer will initially approach the front counter and place an order for the parts they desire. The components availability will be checked, and they will either be picked up from the Back Panels/Side Panels/Accessories unit, or brought inside and given over to the customer after purchasing at the front station.

The main store is divided three functional divisions:

SALES ZONE – Where the salesmen would stand behind the billing counter to assist the customers.
CUSTOMER ZONE – Customer seating and waiting area.
TRANSITION ZONE – A passage that allows RO Executive/Incharge to move freely between the warehouse and sales zone to retrieve parts.
Storage The storage area is used for storing the parts as only a small portion of the parts are displayed in the customer interaction area.

The store story

The exterior of the store i.e the front façade is distinctive, bold and noticeable. The brand is made to stand out to ensure Maruti Suzuki customers walk straight in without hesitation. The facade of the store will be in line with the approved CI guidelines. It will also feature a blade pylon. The whole façade is designed keeping the brand values and philosophy in mind.

The interior of the store i.e the customer zone features Customer Education Display will be placed next to the counter for optimal viewing while billing and parts delivery are in process. It includes an educational panel focusing on the display of Half-Engine and Asli-Nakli Products and a unit exhibiting new product launches. In case the waiting time for products stretches longer than expected, the customer can use the seating provided. Furthermore, For the promotion of the Maruti Suzuki Genuine Parts/ new product introduction, the promotion material (videos, posters, etc) are to be displayed in the TV Unit. It should be ON all the times and should showcase Maruti approved material only.

The colour pallet for both exterior and interior is Maruti Suzuki’s existing colour pallet and some additions are available due to the requirements regarding the branding of MSGP.

Manuals | Putting it all in a book

The Higgs Boson & Co. also developed the retail Identity manual for MSGP, which provides the user with the guidelines for New CI Implementation at Retail Outlet. It elaborates details of space planning and materiality, on-site. As the respective site conditions are different for each outlet, standardization helps a customer by giving a sense of familiarity and brings about confidence in the brand.

This manual uses simple and easy to understand language with illustrated pictures. For ease of understanding, this manual has been divided into 3 sections.

Ideology
Spatial details
Element details

Ideology- This part of the manual describes the philosophy of the Distributor Retail Outlets. It talks about the objectives to be kept in mind while constructing and maintaining the space. it also contains information about the aspired customer experience to help align theory to space.

Spatial details – This part lays down the formatting of the actual space. It contains information on everything related to the space and construction of the same, including zones, maps, floorplans, layouts, lighting and interior.

Element details- This section narrows down the smaller elements which compose the space. Information regarding materials, furniture and related annexures can be found in this part.