Root Cause Diagnosis Exercise -- Module 3

Funnily enough, I’ve actually been trying to help my parents find a new vehicle – some of which include Ford/Lincoln models – although, not a Mustang. However, it doesn't really matter which model, (or even which brand) you choose, since Ford’s general web layout is consistent across makes, models – and to an extent, brands.

To perform the analysis of the “get a quote” button, we’ll use a graphic – just as the text does.

Personally, I believe these are some of the larger reasons people tend to avoid getting quotes for any vehicle online, and we’ll begin with the general placement of the button.

I’ve found, (as I’ve spent hours on Ford.com sites) that that button simply seems too small, and poorly placed. I believe Ford would be better off enlarging it, and placing it directly under or beside the “Build and Price” button – the two simply work together logically. This also touches on the “ease of navigation” aspect – the placement of the button is rather poor.

Secondly, the target audience for the vehicle tends to be either young adults or baby boomers. Both of these segments demonstrate a need for a clear, concise, easy to obtain price. The younger audience probably takes issue with the overall speed of the process (why go through a dealer when you can simply go to Edmunds, KBB, or Cars.com) and get what you need much faster? The older generation – on the other hand – would probably prefer to do their negotiating the old-fashioned way – face to face.

Along that same line, both segments are concerned with the protection of their information, and many (including me) do not wish it to be shared in ways we cannot control entirely – which you can do when you do a face to face negotiation – to an greater extent.

People also tend to have a general feeling of animosity and dislike toward car dealers, and probably believe that – should they request a quote online – they’ll be slammed with calls from a range of hungry dealers. They may also believe that the ability to negotiate a lower price is lost once an online quote has been requested – which of course, it isn’t.

Finally, people may simply become fatigued by the overall length of the process required once the button is clicked – selecting a model, entering the ZIP, locating a dealer, entering all of your PII, assessing a trade. If the majority of people are anything like me, they figure “this would all be easier to do once I’ve found the car and dealer I want, I’ll just wait.”

Until automakers can be free of their dealing “middle-men,” and sell cars directly to consumers, I don't believe as many people will take advantage of the online quoting process as there could be – people have simply developed too much mistrust with the entire car buying process.