What a Tweet idea: Nissan sells X-Trail on Twitter

Barcelona - Nissan claims it has become the first automotive brand in Europe to sell a vehicle exclusively through the use of social networking site Twitter.

From first contact with the client to the final decision to purchase – just six days later – all communication between flagship Galician dealer Antamotor and customer Raul Escolano took place via the social media platform.

Customer started a hashtag

Known to the dealership as user @escolano, he first courted car companies using the hashtag #compraruncocheportwitter (in English, ‘buy a car on Twitter’).

According to Nissan, Escolano threw down the gauntlet to automotive brands across Spain, challenging them to support him in buying a vehicle, solely through the use of social networks.

Nissan, via franchisee Antamotor in A Coruña, impressed Escolano with its innovative approach, using the video streaming platform Periscope to film the X-Trail, with the dealer presenting all of the vehicle’s key features in a personalised walk-through which was uploaded to a live stream.

Garnered almost 3-million impressions

Nissan then went head-to-head with rival models in a poll on Twitter, posed by Escolano, in which followers were asked to rate the cars on the shortlist. The survey, which received 2.6-million impressions (according to Brandwatch), ranked X-Trail ahead of its rivals with 43% of the vote, effectively helping Nissan to seal the deal.

In the spirit of the truly innovative purchase, keys to the X-Trail were delivered direct to Escolano’s home by courier, to complete the online transaction.

The vehicle itself was collected from the brand’s Spanish Headquarters, in the first face-to-face interaction between Nissan and the customer since the sale began in May 2016.

"#compraruncocheportwitter has come to the end, here you have the details of the 'how': http://www.compraruncocheportwitter.com ??" 

#compraruncocheportwitter ha llegado al final, aquí tienes los detalles del "cómo": https://t.co/2vvvcM4y0S ???? pic.twitter.com/EBKwoVqrfs

— escolano (@escolano) June 27, 2016