It’s no surprise to anyone that car sales have been down. Accordingly, the government and the automotive industry have been open to looking at new ways to boost sales. One well-known plan is the popular Cash for Clunkers (Car Allowance Rebate System) program. But this plan alone won’t be enough and companies are looking for other innovative ways to jump-start sales.
As reported in the Wall Street Journal, one such plan that certainly qualifies as innovative is the joint venture rolled out by GM and eBay to sell new cars online. The idea is to let shoppers scroll through about 20,000 vehicles sitting on the lots of over 200 GM dealers – all without leaving the comfort of their own home! Like many listings on eBay, there is a “buy it now” price, but customers can also enter into online bargaining with a dealer. This pilot program is currently limited to California, but GM plans to roll it out nationwide.
As with anything new and innovative, there are skeptics. Nevertheless, GM is trying to get ahead of its competition when it comes to leveraging new opportunities and technologies. This aggressive plan is a great example of how companies need to be innovative and accepting of change in order to stay competitive. Staying with the status quo and doing things as they have always been done is a recipe for disaster. To improve processes and sales, all companies have to innovate – not just GM and eBay.
Read the full Wall Street Journal article (subscription required).
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