What is the Difference Between a Tesla Center and an Experience Store?
1 Answers
Tesla Centers and Experience Stores differ in the following ways: 1. Transparent Car Pricing: Simply put, when buying a Tesla, there are no middlemen taking a cut: the pricing is standardized nationwide, with fluctuations mainly influenced by tax rates. There is no room for negotiation, but neither are there markups for immediate delivery. Moreover, Tesla supports completing the entire car-buying process online—from customizing the model, generating the order, to paying in full. Of course, in reality, most people still prefer to visit an Experience Store or Service Center to complete the purchase. 2. Different Purchase Experiences: The difference in business models also affects the in-store customer experience. On the surface, salespeople at 4S dealerships and Tesla product specialists both earn commissions based on orders and strive to close deals with visiting customers. However, due to the business model differences, their approaches vary significantly. Take test drives, for example. Since 4S dealerships don’t rely on car sales for profits, the salesperson’s primary job is actually to expand the customer base and cultivate clients for the dealership’s after-sales services. Thus, the test drive is just one of the mandatory steps in their process, with the subsequent purchase plan being the main focus. For Tesla product specialists, since Tesla has already predefined the purchase plan for buyers and customers can complete the purchase online, the delivery team handles the handover. Additionally, Tesla’s direct-sales model separates sales and after-sales services, and in some regions, even outsources maintenance to third-party providers.
