It’s the sales quandary of the digital age: Sure, it’s easy for a marque to sell stuff online, but how do you stop from stepping on your dealers’ toes? Do you tell them to suck it up when you sell items to their area?
Ducati USA has kicked off an eBay store that solves the problem with a pretty simple solution. At their store, you can buy all sorts of Ducati apparel and accessories – say, carbon-fibre bodywork for your Multistrada – but the orders are fulfilled through your local Ducati dealer, should you be fortunate enough to have one. Supposedly, the move has enabled Ducati to boost their online sales by 15 per cent already.
They’re able to pull it off through a partnership with online retail gurus Shopatron, who make sure the orders are fulfilled by the correct dealer.
This might not sound exciting to you at the moment, but it could be an indication as to where the future is headed. Buyers know they can save money online, and access a wider inventory of parts, accessories or other goods. Maybe this is a way that retailers will finally figure out how to combine the customer service of a local dealership with the buying power of the Internet?
This is an especially good solution for ‘local’ shopping when the dealer is 100+ km away. While some of us love any excuse to hop on for a ride of nearly any duration, a lot of folks just can’t find the time. Online shopping with the proceeds going to the most local dealership is a great idea.