Winter health check promotions to inspire your own campaign in 2021
Now that the clocks have gone back most of us will be driving home in the dark and it won't be long before we are scraping ice from our windscreens in the morning. Our driving priorities change from keeping the cabin cool and the pollen out to keeping the windows defrosted and making sure we can see at night. Because of this change it is a great time to run a winter promotion to increase seasonal sales outside of the traditional MOT and service bookings. We have compared some of the best winter promotions to give you inspiration for your own campaigns.
The PSA group has bronze, silver and gold options for their customers to choose from this winter.
The bronze check starts from £15 which includes a 29 point check and vehicle sanitisation. The silver offering is £39 and includes a fluid top up. Both checks are about average for a winter health check but the gold check at £69 is the second most expensive but it also works out to be the best value as it includes a new set of wiper blades, a bottle of screenwash and a £30 off voucher for your next service. This is a great move by the PSA group as it also encourages future business.
The BMW group is using Google AdWords to generate leads for winter health checks.
If you search for “winter check” at the moment you will likely be shown an advert in Google for a BMW or Mini winter check. Clicking the advert takes you to a small section on their servicing landing page from which you can book the check online. Both the BMW and Mini checks are the same and include fluid top-up. They are priced at £39.99 and £29.99 respectively.
Jaguar and Land Rover combining an interim service and offering a handy winter driving guide
The Jaguar and Land Rover winter check come bundled with an interim service, wash and vac, fluid top up, software update and £750 worth of MOT cover. At £299 it's the most expensive winter check on our list so we cannot see it as being particularly good value unless an interim service was required anyway. If you are a Land Rover owner you can download a winter driving guide telling you how to get the most out of your vehicle
Kimi Raikkonen's winter diving guide for Alfa Romeo
Out of all the brands in Fiat’s group Alfa Romeo was the only marque that mentioned a winter check. The guide suggests to check and change your windscreen wipers if required, to check your tyres, coolant and battery. There is no click to action or suggestion that you should take your car to an Alfa Romeo garage. So despite good information we feel like this is a missed opportunity.
Lexus and Toyota provide a winter guide
Like Alfa Romeo, Lexus and Toyota have put together some great information, tips and a checklist to make sure their customers are fully prepared for winter. However they have not missed the opportunity to sell winter health checks where appropriate with a clear online booking button. The package includes an inspection of tyres, oil, wiper blades, windscreen washer fluid, brake and light bulbs.
Nissan’s winter offering
For £39.95 Nissan will provide a 20 point health check, winter sanitiser kit, screen wash bottle, de-icer, surface sanitiser, hand gel and ice scraper glove. Nissan aren't doing anything special here but it covers the basics.
Volkswagen are the only brand in the VW group to mention a winter check
We couldn't see any mention of a winter check on the Skoda, Seat, Porsche or even Audi websites which is surprising given the quattro heritage it has. Volkswagen however have a dedicated landing page and for £20 you get a 34 point visual check, winter car care kit, wash and vacuum.
Ford are using a discount code for their winter check offer
Ford offers fluid top, battery check and a safety check for £20 when using the discount code WINTER20 which you can also put towards a service. A popup also appears on the Ford website whenever you visit the owners section of the making sure you do not miss the offer.
Halfords and Kwik Fit are the first two organic search results
When you search for “winter check” on Google these non main brands are the first two results. Their offerings are very similar with Halfords offering a 10 point check and screen wash and tyre air top-up for £15. Kwik Fit carries out a similar check for free but does not include screen wash top up. Kwik Fit have also have a bit more information about the various components that they check and have a video which is great for SEO. We wonder if offering the winter check for free makes their customers think “What's the catch?”. Would it be better charging for the service like everyone else or does this set them apart?
Conclusion
- Lexus and Toyota have the best winter promotion landing pages with clear click to action buttons for bookings.
- We thought it was interesting that PSA offered 3 levels of health checks with a voucher for future business.
- It was hard not to get drawn in by the fantastic imagery on the Land Rover and Jaguar pages. The only downside was the £299 price. However they are premium brands and this could prove very profitable for service centres if it works.
Side note: During our research we didn't find any information for electric only vehicles. This is another missed opportunity as battery efficiency is effected by outdoor temperatures and a winter health check make sure customers are getting the most out of their electric vehicle during the lower temperatures.
Our recommendations
Add a winter health check landing page to your website
Allow your customers to make bookings online
It is important that once you customers have decided they want to book a winter check they can do straight away or you will lose the opportunity. You can setup a winter health check product via your MyCars admin portal which customers can book on your website. Visit our support guides or contact us to learn how.
Add a promotion to your MyCars account
Add a promotion for your customers to see on their MyCars apps. Visit our support guides or contact us to learn how.
Provide a winter checklist and guide with easy aspects that customers can check at home.
Outline what's included in your winter check.
We recommend offering a
Vehicle health check and fluid top ups including screen wash.
The average price for this would be around £20
Or you can choose to include a scraper and de-icer for an average price of £40 but some customers may not require these items so it could be seen as an unnecessary expense.
Lastly you should make a recommendation for winter tyres and winter accessories
Don't miss the opportunity to upsell even if the customers car doesn't need any repairs.
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