Toyota Dealership Takes a Cue From Netflix

A Toyota dealership is linking up with tech marketplace Joydrive to offer Chicago consumers a way to buy new and pre-owned vehicles 100% online with home delivery and five-day return period – no dealership visit necessary.

Grossinger Toyota tells consumers they can shop for a vehicle the same way they search for their favorite movie on Netflix – relaxing in their family rooms and saving nearly six hours on average time spent in the dealership.

Joydrive CEO Hunter Gorham says the company has built a marketplace that accomplishes two goals.

“We have brought dealerships into the 21st century by offering them an easy-to-implement e-commerce solution; and we offer consumers exactly what they want: the opportunity to buy a new or used car without ever stepping into a dealership,” Gorham says in a statement.

 “The result is a national marketplace where customers are offered competitive and haggle-free prices, nearly every brand with one consistent buying experience, fast home delivery, a five-day return period, and follow-up on service accessible after the purchase."

In nine months, Joydrive has expanded from 500 used vehicles in one city to more than 12,000 vehicles in six states and plans to be nationwide by the end of 2018.

Gorham says Joydrive is a digital marketplace akin to Amazon in that it creates a fully online, consistent buying experience across different brands and products.

“Joydrive is not a middleman like other services,” he says. “A middleman still makes you go to a dealership for six hours on a Saturday and go through 90% of the traditional car buying rigamarole."

Joydrive customers can browse numerous dealerships and purchase their car “in their pajamas on the couch” Gorham.

The process can be completed online, from vehicle selection to delivery. Users secure a vehicle with a $199 refundable deposit. A user-friendly dashboard shows all transaction details including trade-in, vehicle service contracts, financing options and delivery schedules.

Of Joydrive’s completed transactions, 40% included a trade-in and 60% included financing.

Customers coordinate the vehicle delivery date and time with their licensed dealer representatives. Because vehicles are located on dealer lots, delivery can occur as fast as a day.

The five-day return offer or alternatively driving up to 250 miles (400 km), allows customers to drive the vehicle the way they actually would use it.

To date, Gorham says, less than 1% of Joydrive’s deliveries have been returned.