Why spend your valuable time waiting for new tyres to be fitted to your vehicle, when your day could be used more constructively? Of course, tyre replacement, wheel balancing and wheel alignment are crucial to keeping you safe on the road, and cannot be neglected, but what if it were possible for tyre technicians to come to you? In Australia, this is now not only possible, it is fast becoming the preferred option with consumers.
Embracing the concept, ‘in the digital age, e-commerce plus mobile equals success’, an aspiring set of Australian entrepreneurs – Travis Osborne and Jamie Cartwright – embarked on an ambitious campaign in 2012, to bring tyres to the consumer’s door, taking account of the drawbacks the traditional tyre retail model is built on, namely: The product is a grudge purchase; choosing a size can be confusing; promotional offers are generic; the fitting process involves travel and waiting.
“Before Mobile Tyre Shop, consumers had no alternative, but as the market evolved, so did consumer expectations, with Australians now expecting to be able to shop for all goods and services wherever and whenever is most convenient without sacrificing value or quality, and tyres are no different”, claimed Cartwright. The first company of its kind in Australia, Mobile Tyre Shop now makes the process of replacing your car’s tyres simple and fuss-free, offering the ability to search, compare and purchase tyres online, and then have those tyres conveniently replaced at home or work. Technicians travel directly to their customers and change their tyres on-site.
The technology
Initially, the pair purchased off-the-shelf software to build the business, but when this was found to be too limiting, they turned to Claris FileMaker, in a bid to digitally transform their entire business, one piece at a time – a strategy that culminated in the creation of a superior, dedicated customer software that encompasses every aspect of the business. “This idea of making gradual improvements ensures we test and learn from them, then repeat improvements with new areas of business, has made FileMaker the right solution for us. We can work one-onone with a developer and chip away at ideas and projects so the business becomes more efficient and more saleable,” explained COO Jamie Cartwright. Today, Mobile Tyre Shop runs its entire business on Claris FileMaker.
While one could argue that mobile tyre fitment is a straightforward concept that does not require such a degree of complexity, Cartwright disagrees. “Consider this,” he said. “This is a threesided business interfacing between the customer, the manufacturer and the fitters/technicians in the field- and every innovation and incident has the potential to disrupt every other part of the logistics chain.
The company’s comprehensive software system now sports a multiple of features, among them: An integrated with eBay online store; an internal live chat messaging system; a barcoding system to keep track of tyre inventory; an automation feature that enables all SMS and email communications with customers and an app for in-the-field technicians.
Mobile Tyre Shop is now hugely successful in the Australian market, so much so, that their success has led to their website and branding being mimicked and even shamelessly ripped off by other companies around the world. More important, the company appears to have captured a considerable portion of the online tyre sales market, which in Australia, accounts for around four percent.
From a single mobile van that began servicing consumers in Melbourne, Mobile Tyre Shop has mushroomed to dozens of service locations across the country. “Our unique ability to combine mobility and e-commerce is what has made Australia’s number one rated tyre retailer on product review, and sets up for success in the future,” said Cartwright. What is more, franchise opportunities for other aspiring entrepreneurs wishing to invest in this successful business model are on offer in Australia and beyond its borders.
