Gazelle E-Bike Test Center: The large Dutch bicycle manufacturer wants to increase its awareness with a new concept and allows those interested in e-bikes to obtain detailed information without time pressure or sales intentions – delicious coffee and test rides included.
The store is full of e-bikes, and the warehouse is overflowing: The situation in the bicycle retail sector remains tense, and customers are feeling the effects. Of course, they are very welcome – but anyone entering the store is also confronted with certain expectations. Customers are expected to buy something, too; especially those seeking in-depth advice on e-bikes sometimes feel the urge from the staff to close the deal.
Advice without moral obligations
If the purchase doesn't materialize, it's an unpleasant situation for all parties: The consultant has invested time, and the company has lost money; the customer has accumulated knowledge free of charge, which may make the consultation and purchase process easier at the nearest bike shop, whose owner then benefits. How do you get out of this unfavorable dynamic? The bicycle brand Gazelle has found a surprising solution – quite incidentally, because the Dutch manufacturer's e-bike test center concept was actually about something else.
Gazelle – in the bicycle context, this name is associated with the legendary black Dutch bikes with tire protectors and cloth chain cases (which, of course, were also available from other brands), perhaps also with the somewhat more modern touring bikes that can be rented on the coasts of our neighboring country. This traditional brand is known primarily in the flat northwest of Germany and in the big cities, where three or seven gears are perfectly adequate. In the era of the e-bike, geography is of course no longer an obstacle, and so the e-touring and trekking bikes from the Netherlands could roll across the entire country. There, however, they face stiff competition and low awareness – and this is where the E-Bike Test Center (ETC) comes in.
Six test centers from Münsterland to Karlsruhe
Here, you can receive in-depth, comprehensive, and completely non-binding advice and have everything you need to know about e-bikes explained to you. You also have the opportunity to test dozens of different models. Gazelle now operates six test centers across Germany, starting with the Münsterland E-Bike Test Center in 2019. The company has now expanded as far south as Karlsruhe and as far east as Berlin. The largest test center is located at the German headquarters in Mönchengladbach, the former center of Rhineland textile production. This is exactly the environment Gregor Kuhn, Head of the E-Bike Test Center Germany, wants for the concept: the charm of old industrial buildings, plenty of space, and good parking. After all, all six ETCs together attract a good 20.000 visitors per year, some of whom travel long distances.
And, of course, the test center is intended to convey the lifestyle associated with the Netherlands and the "Dutch bicycle," a sentiment embodied by the narrow townhouses, dune landscapes, and, of course, tulips. At ETC Mönchengladbach, by far the largest test center at 1.500 square meters, Kuhn oversees a fleet of around 130 e-bikes, along with a few non-motorized Gazelles. This makes the showroom at the Mönchengladbach location almost twice as large as the other ETCs, but the concept is always the same: There's a cafeteria where you can have preliminary discussions and browse brochures in a quiet atmosphere; most importantly, the brand's complete e-bike range is presented in all sizes, and all bikes can be ridden. Visitors have access to the not-so-wide, but fairly long "cycle path" that runs around the exhibition, as well as, of course, the outdoor area, which, with its historic cobblestones in parts, offers a true city bike experience.
Plenty of time for in-depth consultation
To use the services of a Gazelle E-Bike Test Center, it's best to make an appointment online, with time slots of 30 minutes being allocated. However, Gregor Kuhn points out that this is only a guideline. "Some visitors test a variety of models and have many basic questions. Given this, consultations can last up to an hour or more. We're completely flexible in this regard." Others focus on a specific model and shouldn't take more than ten minutes. Of course, you can also drop by without an appointment; if you have to wait, you can easily pass the time with a coffee and the Gazelle catalog.
City, Trekking, Family – the bikes at ETC are sorted by theme, making it easier to get an overview and find the right segment. In addition to the test bikes, there are also purely display models, so you feel half like you're in a bike shop, half like you're at a lovingly designed trade fair stand – the perfect atmosphere to examine the models closely and take your favorite for a spin. Since the brand's complete range is on site, it's easy to find the right size – and if the bike you're looking for isn't available in the right frame size, a related model can be found to check the fit.
Help with finding a dealer
At the end of the consultation, you'll receive a folder with information and text boxes for entering the model, size, color, and other details – along with the address of a Gazelle dealer near you who can source this exact e-bike or might even have it in stock. You can't buy or order anything at the Gazelle E-Bike Test Center – the brand is completely loyal to specialist retailers, and the ETC concept is intended to support and relieve the burden on dealers, who naturally benefit from the free advice provided at the test center. The success rate of the consultations is impossible to determine – but the fact that Gazelle is planning additional e-bike test centers in Germany and internationally demonstrates that the concept works. Anyone interested in e-bikes should seek in-depth advice at an ETC – completely without obligation and without a guilty conscience about "advice theft" if they don't find the right one. But be careful: Gazelle is now so broadly positioned in the e-city, trekking, and family segments that you'd have to have very specific requirements not to find something here.
