Buying a new car is exciting, but many consumers dread going to the dealership. That’s why online car shopping has become so popular in recent years. Customers can choose a car from the comfort of home without having to dodge pushy salespeople.

Some websites, such as Carvana and CarMax, even offer to deliver the vehicle to your home. But Asbury Automotive recently debuted Clicklane, a service that allows consumers to purchase a vehicle in 15 minutes completely online. And the company that designed the first-of-its-kind platform is Gubagoo. Once a simple online-chat provider, Gubagoo has since partnered with several auto dealerships and a few major companies.

What is Gubagoo?

You’d probably never guess this company specialized in auto sales judging by its peculiar name alone. Gubagoo helps make the car-shopping experience easier for traditional dealerships through its online chat platform. Car dealerships can use Gubagoo to communicate directly with customers through Facebook Messenger or Apple Messages.

Gubagoo can also post the dealership’s vehicles on Facebook Marketplace and automatically schedule service appointments. Additionally, the program can send customers targeted offers based on their vehicle search history. This makes their shopping experience more personal and potentially increases the chances of a sale.

Using Gubagoo’s platform benefits both the dealership and the customer. Because the chatbot can run on Facebook Messenger, there’s a better chance of engagement. The conversations can also be easily be moved to SMS messaging at the shopper’s request.

The chat service is available 24 hours a day so that users can ask questions about a car anytime. The chat program also gives each user a personalized greeting and sends offers at peak response times. During business hours, human operators can enter the chat or start a video call to offer the shopper more information. 

Gubagoo’s big partnerships

Gubagoo recently partnered with Asbury Automotive Group to create Clicklane. The service has many of the tools Gubagoo uses on its own site, such as chatbots to schedule appointments. Clicklane also boasts fresh features like a virtual loan marketplace, payment calculators, and specialized financing offers. It’s the first end-to-end car-buying experience conducted completely virtually.

And last year, Gubagoo partnered with Carfax, one of the most trusted sources of reliable information about used vehicles. Customers who browse Carfax’s website can now request a Vehicle History Report of any car directly through a chatbot. This reports details all of the car’s service appointments, mileage, and any damage from collisions.

What partners say about Gubagoo

Testimonials on Featured Customers indicate many dealerships are satisfied with Gubagoo’s service. Marketing directors reported they secured at least a hundred new leads a month thanks to Gubagoo. They were also impressed that the company’s chat feature was easy for customers and salespeople to use.

Gubagoo has partnered with more than 6,000 car dealerships. One Toyota dealership even reported a 2500 percent ROI, with $224,000 in annual car sales, Gubagoo posted on its website. Forty-two percent of customers were found to schedule a virtual or in-person appointment thanks to a chatbot conversation.

The future of online car buying

Even the wariest customers are leaning toward browsing online for their next vehicle purchase, especially in today’s climate. Still, a lack of engagement between the salesperson and the buyer has been a significant roadblock for digital dealerships. Some online shoppers are also concerned about buying a car without seeing it in person.

Gubagoo has been successful because it solves both of those problems. Buyers can use the platform to generate a full vehicle history report and know exactly how much the car has been used. The personalized chat feature also makes it easier for customers to start conversations about the cars they want.