Motorcycle vendor Aeon Motor Co Ltd (宏佳騰) yesterday said it plans to launch more test riding services combined with virtual-reality (VR) experiences next year to bolster sales.
“Aeon hopes to draw attention from target customers by making more [VR-] related services, especially young people aged between 18 and 24,” Aeon chief executive officer Tony Lin (林東閔) told reporters after the company announced its collaboration with singer Jay Chou’s (周杰倫) gaming team.
In April, the company launched its first 360° video featuring the latest VR techniques to introduce its new 3D-350 model, which aroused heated discussions on the Internet.
The company said it aims to increase its presence in the local market next year by interacting with customers on social media, including Facebook, instead of just launching TV advertisements.
Lin said he expects the new marketing strategy to help Aeon reach more potential clients and collect real-time feedback.
In the first 10 months of this year, the company saw its revenues drop 10.4 percent year-on-year to NT$2.25 billion (US$70.5 million).
However, Aeon said it expects better sales growth momentum by the end of this year, supported by the industry’s traditional high season.
The company did not disclose the figure for its unit sales during the first 10 months.
Domestic motorcycle sales grew 18.36 percent year-on-year to 716,446 units in the first 10 months of this year, thanks to new models by vendors that spurred replacement demand and consumers looking to the cheaper alternatives for mobility, data compiled by local motor vehicle branches showed last month.
Kwang Yang Motor Co (光陽工業), which sells motorcycles under the KYMCO brand, led the local market with a 37.2 percent market share, as it sold a total of 266,516 units in Taiwan in the first 10 months of the year, up 8.81 percent from the same period last year.
Yamaha Motor Taiwan Co (台灣山葉), a subsidiary of Japan’s Yamaha Motor Co, took the No. 2 spot in the local market with a 30.62 percent market share, selling 219,388 units in the first 10 months of the year, representing an annual increase of 15.9 percent.
Sanyang Industry Co (三陽工業) was the third-largest with a 19.3 percent market share, seeing its sales increasing 43.16 percent annually to 138,064 units in the first 10 months of the year, the data showed.
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