Goodyear trialing retail concepts at new store

FAIRLAWN, Ohio (June 16, 2016) — “Transparency and trust” are the watchwords for Goodyear at the new-look Goodyear Auto Service store at Summit Mall in Fairlawn, which will serve as a test-bed for the tire maker's evolving interaction with customers.

The location — a former Firestone Complete Car Care outlet that's integrated with the shopping mall — features an open floor plan, expansive use of glass, muted tones, natural stone, side-by-side consultation modules and plenty of space for customers to work or relax.

The 11,700-sq.ft. store, the only in-mall location among Goodyear's 580-plus company-owned retail outlets, will be Goodyear's primary “test-and-learn” location for new customer-interaction concepts, according to Fred Thomas, vice president, Goodyear Retail.

The store's integrated open design features a wall of windows that look into the service area, providing increased transparency that “allows customers to see our expert service team using the latest technologies and procedures when servicing their vehicles. This interaction will help customers make more informed choices,” he said.

Mr. Thomas referred several times during a June 16 preview tour to the design as the "open kitchen" format, alluding to the trend in the restaurant field to open the kitchen up to customers' view.

The store opens for business June 17, with a grand opening — complete with a blimp flyover and NASCAR cars on display — set for July 15. The existing Goodyear Auto Service Center in another wing of Summit Mall shut with the close of business on June 16.

Goodyear has been teasing the new-look store for the past few months with signs heralding a “new tire-buying experience” coming soon.

In the service bays, Goodyear is trialing several new pieces of Hunter Engineering equipment, including the Quick Check vehicle inspection system, the automated Revolution tire mounting machine and Road Force Elite balancer.

Goodyear will benchmark the performance of these pieces of service equipment, Mr. Thomas said, against that of existing stores to determine whether to spec some or all of them in other stores.

The store plans to run all cars brought in for service, even those just for an oil change, through the Quick Check in order to give every customer a snapshot of his or her car's health. The Quick Check provides data on alignment, tire treadlife, battery health, etc.

The company is dedicating two of the store's 10 service bays to quick lube services. One bay has a lift with 16,000-pound lifting capacity for heavier vehicles.

The company declined to disclose what is spent to renovate the location to the new-look design.

Goodyear's goal at the new store will be to provide customers an update on the status of their car every 20 minutes, Mr. Thomas said. The company eventually will extend this service to texts and/or emails, a service that's seen as especially engaging for customers at mall locations, where they tend to use the time to do other shopping.

The store also offers:

• complimentary shuttle service;
• a separate kids' room;
• free internet access;
• loaner IPads for customers;
• complimentary fresh-brewed single-serve coffee and bottled water.

“Our goal is to deliver a high quality, consistent experience while respecting the customers' time and treating them fairly,” Mr. Thomas said, noting the company wants to stress gaining customers' trust in order to gain their repeat business for any of the services offered.

The Summit Mall store also has a training room, where Goodyear plans to bring in staff from other locations from time to time for training.

Goodyear does not consider the Summit Mall a “prototype” for future Goodyear Auto Service Center locations, Mr. Thomas said, but instead it's a test-bed for concepts, many of which likely will be adopted in new or remodeled stores.