Ford targets female buyers by letting them negotiate car prices

PanARMENIAN.Net - Ford is test-driving a new concept designed to appeal to female buyers this month: the automaker is selling its vehicles at a preset price through the Home Shopping Network, a move that removes negotiations from the car-shopping equation, Fortune reports.

“Research shows that women enjoy the negotiation process less than men,” says Kathleen Kross, experiential marketing manager for Ford. “They prefer to have the confidence that they’re getting a good value. When they have that confidence, they enjoy the shopping process.” The Ford Preferred Price Event launched in early October with three hours of programming on HSN—the first time the network has tried marketing cars.

Of course, the process of actually buying a car through the HSN deal is far more complex than ordering a watch or a scarf.

When viewers spot a vehicle they like on the air, they have to contact the network (online or via phone) in order to receive a free code. Shoppers must then take that code to their local dealer, who will tell them the preset price for that particular model, including local taxes. There’s no obligation to buy, but that price is only guaranteed until Jan. 4, 2016. The preset prices are “hundreds or thousands of dollars off” the manufacturer’s suggested retail price, Kross said.

The automaker is hoping that the alliance with HSN, a multi-platform retail conglomerate that reaches 95 million households and has a 90% female viewership, will help it reach more women. Generating buzz is key: Ford’s research shows that women are likelier than men to rely on word-of-mouth recommendations.