FordDirect launched new technology to improve the way users research and shop for Ford vehicles online at the National Automobile Dealers Association convention in New Orleans at the weekend.

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The new technology will enable consumers to shop online the way they shop offline, the company said in a statement. From ‘building’ vehicles to comparing dealer inventory with only the features a consumer indicates, the site is designed to simplify the shopping process and, based on consumer usage patterns the website will create a user-defined experience.


“The FordDirect website is evolving toward providing consumers with a customised and personal online shopping experience,” said a FordDirect spokesman.


“The first applications on our new platform will make building a vehicle and finding it in a dealer’s inventory a faster, more intuitive process. The goal is to eventually customise the entire process based on a consumer’s needs and preferences.”


First applications of the new technology platform include:

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– Visual Build and Price – Configuration, or selecting options to build a vehicle, on sites today is a linear step-by-step process. FordDirect’s Visual Build and Price will allow users to define their own path through an interactive configuration process that allows them to pick as many, or as few options as they want. Consumers will be able to see how their choices look on the vehicle with an updated photo in real time.


– Fast-Filter Inventory Match – A new generation of inventory matching makes it easier for consumers to find the vehicle they are looking for in a dealer’s inventory. Using an interactive grid, consumers can quickly and easily designate the options they want and pinpoint matching vehicles. The customer will be able to evaluate vehicle attributes and make intelligent trade offs. The system will also allow users to compare against both in-stock inventory and inventory that is in-route to the dealership.


– Virtual Lot Search visually depicts a dealer’s inventory, similar to a bird’s eye view of the dealer’s lot. Consumers can simply indicate their requirements and quickly filter through a dealer’s inventory to find the vehicle they are looking for. Consumers can also adjust their price range to view the vehicles that fit in their budget.


– Interactive Quick Quote – Consumers who simply want to contact a dealer immediately to get a price quote will have a visual, interactive quote page that will enable them to quickly contact a dealer and still have the opportunity to select options and view their selections.


The update is the result of a partnership between Trilogy and FordDirect. The first enhancements will be made in the first quarter of this year and additional features will be rolled out throughout 2005.