When we were toddlers, we loved
those little dispenser machines that tended chocolates, candies, and sometimes
even toys. Put a coin, get what you like, go home, happy. But what if I told
you that there is now a dispenser full of Big Boy Toys. Yes, I am referring to
cars!
Carvana, the car sales company has
now introduced a Car Vending Machine. Phoenix-based car dealership Carvana has
done a pretty impressive job of moving the entire used car buying process
online. For any vehicle you're interested in, you can examine a long list of
specs, ratings, reviews and details, as well as examining it inside and out
with a standardized rotating tour that points out every nick and scratch on the
bodywork.
Everything down to trade-in and
finance is done online. The car is then delivered to your door, and you've got
seven days to "test drive" it, after which you're free to return it
if you're not happy. The online model allows Carvana to cut down on staff and
overhead, and according to its own estimations, save customers around US$2,000
in the process.
Of course, delivery fees cost money
too, and Carvana noticed that a lot of customers were excited enough to come in
and pick up their cars straight away. The more people came to pick their cars
up, the more Carvana saved. So the company decided to make a bit of an
experience out of it.
The end result is a giant,
five-story vending machine for used cars, which has just opened outside
Nashville, Tennessee. Customers roll up after buying their cars online, they're
given an oversized coin token to put in a slot, and they watch their car come
down from the carousel. Personally, I'm excited when something I buy comes in a
nice box, but this takes things to a whole new level.
Carvana sees the "vending
machine" as a way to make the pickup process a bit of an experience for
buyers, as well as a way to reduce overheads in terms of real estate, staff and
the like. And I can't think of a lot of people who'll mourn the loss of the
used car salesman from the process, either.
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