Mainstream headlines right now are talking about how the United States is surviving on home delivery purchasing services – like Amazon, Instacart, and UberEats – in order to get the goods we need while maintaining stay-at-home orders. For many, it has become a way of life.
Now, the motorcycle industry is starting to catch onto the same idea, as Indian Motorcycle announces its Click.Deliver.Ride program, which the company says lets you shop, configure, and purchase your new Indian motorcycle online and over the phone – all without changing out of your COVID-19 sweatpants attire.
In reality, the program is just a basic online lead-generation platform for local dealerships, which have always been able to handle the bulk of a motorcycle purchasing transaction over the phone (or via an online form). Though perhaps the ability to home-deliver has not always been so prevalent at the dealership level.
That being said, there are a number of other OEMs with similar programs on their websites (many predating the coronavirus outbreak), though only Indian seems to be touting theirs right now to the riding public.
Indian says that the Click.Deliver.Ride program is only for a limited time, and only where there are participating dealers and appropriate state regulations, but it is certainly one way for the American motorcycle brand to help keep the doors open on its dealerships, to help keep the supply chain moving on its business, and to help let the riding public know it is open for business.
“Over the last month, we’ve all had to adjust to a new way of life and have had to alter the ways in which we conduct our business,” said Mike Dougherty, Indian Motorcycle President. “Our hope is that Click.Deliver.Ride. will help bring peace of mind to both our loyal customers and our network of dealers.”
A quick look through Indian’s solution shows that it is not quite the shopping experience one would expect like from Amazon or a similar online retailer, but it is a step in the right direction.
One has to wonder, why is it taking a global pandemic to wake up manufacturers to the power of online purchases and home deliveries? Mark this day: the motorcycle industry just got a little closer to entering the 20th century.
Source: Indian
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