E-bike after sales service lags far behind sales success
E-bike sales have been a huge success in the last five years, growing continuously at a double and even triple-digit annual rate. And the growth has not stopped – anyone involved in the mobility industry knows that “e-bikes are our future.”
Despite such promising market forecasts, there are concerns among industry leaders. Enthusiasm and interest (not to mention amazing mobility benefits) attracted many consumers to buy e-bikes. However – some do not have cycling experience, some are not always familiar with the e-bike brands they bought and often e-bikes were bought from online retailers, without any assistance or the guidance of an e-bike expert.
What are the challenges for e-bike after sales?
As the market expands further, many challenges lie ahead and key brands need to address them –
- There needs to be a better understanding of what is and is not an electric bicycle according to European and US Many e-bikes are being marketed as able to achieve higher speeds than defined by authorities. What’s problematic is the urge to push ever more speed and power.
- Many consumers are buying e-bikes online and then finding out that assembling them and getting them serviced is challenging. Are brands losing future buyers to a bad after-sales experience?
- People that experience an e-bike they buy online love the initial purchase But if their e-bike stops working, if there’s no established service network, many might not buy an e-bike again.
- Consumers buying their first e-bike online realize how complicated these products can be, and the assembly and servicing problems could drive them to their local bike dealer. Alternatively, the struggles with assembly and maintenance might push people away from purchasing another e-bike in the future.
In addition – e-bikes have operating and maintenance manuals covering every aspect of the bicycle. However, many users are not particularly familiar with how to use them. e-bike users are starting to notice there are many issues they need to address, such as –
- The battery is most susceptible to damage due to its location and operating conditions, often as a result of the improper usage of E-bikes. Both extreme heat and cold have a negative effect on the battery life, efficiency, and power out. It may result in a decreased battery lifespan.
- Motor noise – if the motor has worn-out gears, disk brake or bearings.
- Wiring and connections checks, pedal-assist and sensors failure.
- Problems with the throttle damage due to improper use of the throttle. This may result in the breaking of the wire that connects the throttle to the motor.
All the above leads to one major issue – after sales service packages offered by e-bike retailers and repair shops. In a few markets, there are brands which have managed to address service needs of e-bike users, however – ADK Insights’ latest global studies on e-bikes reveal that most consumers are practically lost in this area. They are not aware of services available in the market and instead of regularly maintaining their e-bikes, they tend to run to a nearby shop only when their e-bike has a problem.
How can ADK Insights help?
ADK Insights is ready to help clients better manage these challenging times. As an agency specialized in creating new market opportunities and identifying new mobility solutions, we are able to further advance the purchase journeys, purchase experience and user experience of consumers in order to ensure you a better competitive edge in the ever-changing mobility world.
To find out more about our dialogue with consumers worldwide, please contact Nimrod, Dam or Rob at ADK Insights. Feel free to follow our LinkedIn Page for regular updates.