Pioneer’s FitFotos Empowers Retailers to Showcase Installation Capabilities Directly to Consumers
LONG BEACH, Calif.--Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. today announces the official launch of FitFotos, which adds new functionality to the mobile entertainment category areas of the pioneerelectronics.com website by highlighting installations of car electronics products by authorized Pioneer retailers. FitFotos enable dealers to showcase their professional installation capabilities while simultaneously helping consumers visualize the fit of Pioneer products in their vehicles. The new endeavor demonstrates Pioneer’s continued commitment to creating innovative ways to help retailers promote their business as well as enhance the consumer shopping experience.
FitFotos builds upon the success of Mobile Electronics Live (MEL), Pioneer’s online portal for dealers, with approximately 2,800 participating retail stores. Created two years ago as a way for Pioneer to communicate directly with its dealer community, MEL offers exclusive product information, video training and technical support.
“Some of the most skilled car audio installers in the nation work with Pioneer products and many were already posting photos of their work on MEL. FitFotos now allows us to share this content with consumers through the pioneerelectronics.com website to help them better visualize real world installations of Pioneer products and get them in contact with one or more certified installation specialists in their area.” said Ted Cardenas, director of marketing for the mobile business group of Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc.
Within the automotive aftermarket industry, Pioneer tracks the highest website traffic and is the one of the first mobile electronics manufacturers to align the skills of its retailers with its mobile product offerings. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, 69% of CE buyers first looked online before their in-store purchase1. Pioneer’s FitFotos assists consumers in the research process with a preview of what products will look like installed in a vehicle along with information on retailers.
“FitFotos is an extremely effective, free marketing tool for authorized Pioneer retailers. We’ve already had more than 53,000 views of our installation photos and have increased our visibility with potential customers, several of whom were referred to us by the photos of our work on Pioneer’s site,” Tim Lotts, general manager of Lotts Auto Stereo in Santa Cruz, California. “We have been in this business for more than 50 years, and this type of support from a top-level manufacturer helps not only the industry but consumers as well.”
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., and its U.S. Web address is www.pioneerelectronics.com. Its parent company, Pioneer Corporation, is a leader in optical disc technology and a preeminent manufacturer of high-performance audio, video and computer equipment for the home, car and business markets. The company focuses on three core business domains including Blu-ray Disc and DVD, navigation and Digital Network Entertainment™.
1CEA Research Study, Trends in CE Retailing, October 2008