Wiggle calls a customer's bluff by accepting to trade a high-end bike for his car. Offers to trade-in spouses soon followed.
When @shotbyjohnson joked that he'd like online retailer Wiggle to trade his car for a high-end road bike, Wiggle staffers thought about it and then offered to do a deal, caveat emptor.
Wiggle's customer offered to trade his MG Rover ZR for new Mekk 2G Poggio Ultegra road bike.
Thomas Dibley, Wiggle's cycle marketing manager, said:
"I was in the office when this tweet came in. Our mutual reaction was 'let's do it', so as soon as we figured out who would actually take ownership of this car, we accepted the offer."
Dibley added: "I'm pretty sure we at Wiggle won't be trading too many more cars for bikes."
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However, customers quickly started to make other trade-in offers, including spouses.
@spokemasher tweeted: "How about swapping my wife for two wheels please, eh? No photo until after the trade though."
@wigglebikeshop This is my Car. I would like to offer you a swap for a Mekk Poggio 2G Ultegra. No Joke Make it Happen twitter.com/shotbyjohnson/…
— shotbyjohnson (@shotbyjohnson) October 22, 2012
I still cannot believe @wigglebikeshop are sorting me out with a Mekk 2G Poggio Ultegra. Absolutely Amazing
— shotbyjohnson (@shotbyjohnson) October 23, 2012
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Comments
12 comments
Great, another free Wiggle advert to all your consumer visitors!
billy hunt Oct 24th 2012 at 12:06AM
2 2With any luck Wiggle will scrap the POS.... One less Rover on the road is a good thing :)
Finlay Paton Oct 24th 2012 at 12:13AM
0 0Interesting, but strange thought that a highly financially geared business would trash an asset; perhaps the article should enlarge upon what's happened to the vehicle? We can always check the reg with shotbyjohnson and validate when it's been destroyed?
billy hunt Oct 24th 2012 at 12:18AM
0 0Not sure which is worse, a purple Rover or a Mekk bike
Andy Powell Oct 24th 2012 at 8:25AM
2 0Free advert in what way? Wiggle is part of the bike trade, was born in the bike trade. The company has done something that created a buzz on social media. That's news, not an advert. If a tiny independent had of done the same thing, that would be made into a news story, too.
Carlton Reid Oct 24th 2012 at 8:39AM
2 3We're unlikely to trash it. It's a perfectly good car (we think).
Thomas Dibley Oct 24th 2012 at 9:53AM
0 0If small independent retailers had the ability to create "trade buzz" by doing something like this - we would... believe me we would.
Ben Chamberlaine Oct 24th 2012 at 10:05AM
1 0'Trade' buzz is irrelevant here, Ben, although arguably a good lesson to other businesses in how to engage with customers on social media. There are plenty of examples of independents that create a name for themselves on Twitter, Facebook etc in the market that matters to them; their local cyclists. I won't mention any London dealers but I'll hold up Activ in Folkstone and Mud Dock in Bristol as examples of how to chat with your potential buyers. More importantly, what will you offer me for a 2001 Citroen C5 Estate?
Nick Rearden Oct 24th 2012 at 11:59AM
0 1Nick - i've got an old BSA in the back garden under a tarpaulin. Do we have a deal?
Dave Atkinson Oct 24th 2012 at 12:17PM
0 1If I had the ability to move it straight on I might have made you an offer!! And I stand corrected on my previous comment I was generally reffering to "buzz" not "trade buzz" - as in anything to attract positive attention to ourselves amidst the competition which is near enough cost free.
Ben Chamberlaine Oct 24th 2012 at 2:12PM
0 0That's what social media is great for Ben. We didn't plan this, a customer gave it a punt and we said yes. Working out the cost price of the bike, the PR exposure will be well worth it. Anybody can do this...just need to give it a go and put your weight behind it.
Thomas Dibley Oct 24th 2012 at 4:23PM
0 0Interesting to understand how they deal with the VAT on this one.
robin thorn Oct 26th 2012 at 2:22PM
0 0