Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. is teaming up with its retailers and wholesale distributors to make it possible for consumers to buy tires online at Goodyear.com.
Goodyear made the announcement at the 2015 Goodyear Dealer Conference in Grapevine, Texas. The company said the new strategy, which calls for the tires being installed in authorized local stores, was driven by consumer demand.
"For years, we’ve been connecting consumers to aligned Goodyear retailers on the Web, but now we’re seeing a growing number of consumers that demand the ability to buy online," said Mike Dauberman, Goodyear's senior director, marketing and interactive.
"The next logical step in serving these digitally savvy consumers is to enable that online purchase. And when we combine online purchase capability with the broadest network of retailers to support the tire installation, Goodyear and its retailer network are well-positioned to meet these consumer needs."
Goodyear said research shows that consumers are increasingly shopping and buying, tires online. According to a recent Millward Brown Digital-Google Auto Tires Purchase Study, it is estimated 83% of tire shoppers used digital sources as a part of their purchase process -- up from 66% in just two years.
Last year alone, more than 20 million consumers visited Goodyear.com to research and shop for tires.
The Goodyear.com online purchase option, to be activated later this year, will enable consumers to purchase tires online and have them installed locally at an authorized retailer of their choice. The consumer will pay for the tires, taxes and standard installation online, and the installing retailer will receive a delivery fee from Goodyear. The installer also will keep 100% of the installation cost. Logistics will be handled by Goodyear with participating wholesale distributors.
"The Goodyear retailer gains the opportunity to generate additional service revenue at the time of installation and secure a loyal new customer, all while Goodyear handles the customer acquisition costs," added Andy Traicoff, Goodyear’s vice president of consumer sales and customer development.
Retailers interested in the Goodyear.com Installer program can contact their Goodyear sales representative for more details, including the opportunity to sign up to participate as an authorized installer. Full training, including eLearning, a comprehensive resource guide, videos and call center support, will be available to all participating installers in the coming months.
