The financial arm of Mercedes-Benz managed to collect about $2.5 million in lease or loan payments through its smartphone apps, according to Andreas Hinrichs, the company’s vice president of marketing. The majority of that amount came from iPhone users, who accounted for about $2 million.
Using a dedicated application, Mercedes-Benz financial customers can pay their monthly leases or car loans, manage their accounts, locate the nearest Mercedes-Benz dealer, contact a customer service representative or view company news.
Hinrichs said that more than 11,000 people have downloaded Mercedes-Benz financial app on their iPhones, and another 7,800 have visited a mobile website to install the application on their smartphone (not necessarily the iPhone).
Given how cheap these transactions today are, this is a huge success for Mercedes, and I’ve no doubts we’ll hear more not only from them, but also from other car makers in the near future. With the iPad now available to the general public in the U.S., I wouldn’t be surprised to see a slew of new apps being released (or at least sponsored) by major car companies.
Mercedes-Benz Financial (FREE) [iTunes link]
[Via: WSJ]