Ford tries to simplify car buying with Ready.Shop.Go.
In a bid to take some of the discomfort out of the car buying process, Ford is trying to make it as simple and transparent as possible by using the power of the internet.
The process of actually buying a car from a dealership sucks. It's time-consuming and awkward, and there is always a great deal of pressure to buy or miss out on a deal and people are getting tired of it. Ford thinks it has a solution to the problem though with its Ready.Shop.Go. platform.
Ready.Shop.Go. is an online platform that will allow prospective customers to find a car, view pricing and incentives, schedule a test drive, apply for financing, estimate trade-in values and then lock in a deal for up to 48 hours. This will cut down on the opportunities for potential weirdness as well as the amount of disgusting dealership coffee one will consume during the process.
Ready.Shop.Go. attempts to alleviate the bulk of the hassle of shopping for a new car by moving much of the process online.
"Our customers are busy people, whether with daily work demands or spending time with their families. Quality time is scarce, and downtime is even more so," said Mark LaNeve, vice president, US Marketing, Sales and Service. "Ready.Shop.Go. allows them to find the perfect vehicle online, spend significantly less time at the dealership and drive away with their new ride sooner."
Having transparent pricing online and knowing what incentives you qualify for before you even speak to a salesperson is a great way to reduce stress for buyers, so does the ability to limit how the dealership can contact you and knowing exactly who you'll be dealing with before you get to the showroom.
With Ready.Shop.Go. you basically go to the dealer to test drive a car, sign papers, get your trade-in valued and grab your keys.
"As we worked with our dealers to develop Ready.Shop.Go., it was important to make sure the experience benefited both our customers and our dealers," said LaNeve "This experience delivers the functionality and flexibility customers need to select a vehicle at their preferred dealership, then apply for financing before ever stepping into a showroom, saving both customers and dealers valuable time."
Ready.Shop.Go. will be rolling out to Midwestern Ford dealers this month and the platform is expected to go nationwide by the end of the year.