Ford has launched a new online sales service in the UK, enabling customers to purchase one of its cars and have it delivered straight to their homes.
If successful, the new online sales program could be expanded across Europe in the future. All Ford models available on www.buy.ford.co.uk can be purchased via Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) finance. The new online service also allows customers to trade in their old cars, should they wish to do so; Ford is collaborating with an auction company for that purpose.
This isn’t the first time Ford has tried to sell its vehicles online in the UK; the first attempt came in 1999 and the second in 2010. Ford believes that now is the right time for online car shopping. “We were well ahead of ourselves in 1999. A car was then deemed too big a commodity to buy online. A generation on and the time is right,” a company spokesman said to Automotive News.
At the same time, Ford UK has opened the first of a new type of showroom in Manchester with the name Digital FordStore. The new showroom features five display cars and offers the same online purchasing experience thanks to the use of interactive displays.
“We are changing the way consumers interact with our brand and responding to the way they want to purchase vehicles, particularly female buyers,” said Kevin Griffin, Ford of Britain sales director. “With our new Online Sales service, the customer is in control every step of the way; they can buy in-store today or complete their purchase online at home. They can also visit the store to talk to experts for advice, hear about the latest technologies and experience them with a test-drive direct from the store.”