Nov. 19, 2013—Carvana, an online auto retailer, announced Monday the opening of what it’s calling the country’s first “vehicle vending machine,” a fully digital interactive vehicle-delivery facility designed to offer customers increased flexibility on pick-up options after purchasing a vehicle online at Carvana.com.
The facility is located in Atlanta’s West Midtown neighborhood, and has floor-to-ceiling windows, custom LED lighting, flat screen TV's and interactive keypads that identify customers based on unique buyer credentials provided by Carvana after the purchase has been completed. It has three bays that allow for simultaneous pickups.
With around-the-clock pick up availability, vehicles purchased on Carvana.com will be available for test drive and pick up as early as 24 hours after the purchase. To date, consumers have purchased and financed their cars on Carvana in as little as 15 minutes.
"Brands like Amazon and eBay have demonstrated the consumer's appetite for purchasing large and small items online while paving the way for 'quick ship' delivery,” said Ernie Garcia, founder and president of Carvana. “Our goal from the beginning has been to create an online user experience that's as simple and intuitive as shopping on Amazon or Zappos, but with even greater flexibility and service around the delivery.”
Company representatives will be available on site to answer any questions that customers may have in regards to their new vehicle. Carvana plans to open additional locations in 2014.
"With our new ‘vending machine’ concept, we believe we are at the forefront of the future of retail vending, where consumers will shop online and pick-up at a vending machine,” Garcia said. “While we're not pioneering that concept, we are pushing the envelope in introducing it to an industry with a primary distribution point that has been a four-hour, exhaustive commitment to a dealership."
