Fastlane Launches Its E-Commerce Platform for Car Dealers, Making Car Buying Easy and Hassle-Free for Customers

    CHICAGO, IL, August 23, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Dallas-based startup Fastlane has raised the bar for dealer-driven online car buying with the launch of its new e-commerce platform. The new platform offers car dealers the ability to offer a personalized, branded online car buying experience, while providing customers with a start-to-finish purchasing process. Dealers use Fastlane to showcase their inventory, help their customers pick out the car they want, determine the value of their trade-in, and choose other purchase components such as financing, leasing, service contracts and insurance.

"Fastlane has taken online car-buying to the next level by giving consumers a convenient, and hassle-free way to pick out the car they want and complete their purchase transaction--while they gain an important relationship with a dealer," said David Luce, Fastlane's Vice President of Sales. "Other car-buying platforms have a cookie cutter purchase process that cannot be changed from one dealership to another, so they are convenient but impersonal. Fastlane recognizes that dealers in one market, such as New York, may sell cars differently from dealers in other markets, such as Texas or California. Fastlane offers dealers a way to personalize the online car buying experience to meet their customers' needs, while enhancing the customers' experience of buying a car from a dealership."

"Fastlane is a complete car buying system, with advanced features and customizability," explains Brandon Hall, Fastlane's CEO. "The platform seamlessly walks customer through the many aspects of the buying process."

In today's world of online car buying, customers can shop for the vehicle, get a value for their trade-in vehicle, get pre-approved for financing and even educate themselves on warranty and insurance products for their vehicle. Until now, the challenge has been that all these issues are dealt with by different websites--customers are often told to "see dealer for details." Fastlane brings together all these separate elements of car buying together under one umbrella. Customers can view the inventory, pick out their car of choice, determine trade-in value of their current vehicle, arrange for financing, check out different service and insurance options, all in a one-stop online shopping environment.

"Online car-buying certainly has its benefits, but that doesn't eliminate the need for car owners to have a good relationship with a dealer, since they still need service and expert advice about the car. Our goal is to make online car buying an advantage and opportunity for both car dealers and customers while helping to foster a great mutual relationship. It's the best of both worlds for everyone concerned," said Hall.

Fastlane helps dealers navigate the cyclical nature of the car business and focus on building customer relationships, all to the benefit of consumers
One of the challenges that the automobile industry continually faces is its cyclical nature. Depending on the state of the economy and the car market, manufacturers may find themselves with too little or too much product and, in turn, dealers face the same dilemma. Depending on current state of car sales, there might be an overabundance of new car inventory and a shortage of quality pre-owned cars, or vice versa.

Fastlane's online checkout helps dealers by getting their inventory--both new and pre-owned cars--sold online to prospective buyers so dealers can move product more quickly and efficiently. Customers can shop for a car from the comfort of their own homes or they can use Fastlane's in-dealership checkout systems, which include a mobile purchase order system for sales staff to help the customers select exactly the vehicle they want and work out the purchase details--in the showroom and even on a test drive. Customers also can use a self-service kiosk in the showroom to browse inventory, submit trade-in information and apply for financing. Fastlane's solutions help streamline the purchase process, enabling both sales staff and customers to focus on the business relationship, so customers can get what they need most from a dealer: expertise, trust and a great experience.

Transformation of the auto industry makes the case for Fastlane
"For well over a decade, the vast majority of car buyers have been starting their purchase process from an internet browser," said Hall. "With companies such as Carvana and Tesla pioneering online-only car buying, there is even more evidence that online car buying is not the future automotive retailing--it is today."

Millennials, in particular, have embraced online car buying. They are very comfortable using the online shopping process for large purchases such as a car and expect this type of experience from a car dealer.

Dealers are adapting to this new world, and a growing number consider this change in consumer buying habits to be a huge opportunity. With the ease of online price comparison tools, an increasing number of dealers are putting their best price forward and opting for no-haggle pricing. Now with more leveled pricing, forward-thinking dealers are rising to the occasion by offering customers service-based incentives and building mutually rewarding long-term relationships.

"Fastlane's greatest strength is that it transforms the buying process into an easy, efficient one while making it possible for dealer sales team members to spend their precious face time engaging with their customers," explained Hall. "Our platform helps dealers deliver an unparalleled customer experience. The purchase process is easy, straightforward and branded. Dealers can then concentrate on earning more business by offering great service and advice, meanwhile turning customers into evangelists for their dealership. Everyone wins."

About Fastlane
Fastlane, with headquarters in Dallas, Texas, is a developer of innovative e-commerce and showroom technologies for automotive dealerships. Fastlane creates value for dealers by providing them with an online checkout experience and enhancing dealer's in-store purchase experience, leading to greater customer satisfaction. By offering Fastlane's turnkey purchasing solution, dealers give customers a convenient way to complete the purchase transaction while the sales team focuses on engaging with customers and building long-term relationships that last well after the car is purchased.

Fastlane's technical integration team, based in Dallas, Texas, customizes the Fastlane e-commerce platform to meet the specific and unique needs of individual dealerships and dealer groups.

For more information about Fastlane, please visit their website, www.fastlane.car and their online newsroom, www.newsline360.com/fastlane. Contact Fastlane at [email protected].

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