In 2020, we all learned about the value of e-commerce, and 2021 was the year it became a regular part of most consumers’ lives. By early 2022, Carvana began to see the results of building out an exceptional customer experience backed by a nationwide logistics network in the achievement of two major company milestones: the sale of the company’s one millionth car to customers, followed very closely by the one millionth car bought from customers. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about it all—Carvana, known as the premier destination for buying used cars online, actually purchased a million cars from customers in less than half of the amount of time it took to sell that many vehicles.
What does this mean?
Among several things, it points to the fact that in a white-hot seller’s market for used vehicles, Carvana’s vehicle selling experience has become one of the smoothest, most transparent, and effective ways to trade-in or sell one’s vehicle today. In fact, now, Carvana consistently purchases an average of one vehicle from customers per minute, all year long.
Since launching the ability to sell one’s vehicle to Carvana back in 2018, several different options have emerged for consumers looking to sell a vehicle, though Carvana has continuously led the way as one of the fastest companies to provide a real offer without any haggling, smoother pick up of your car free of charge, and immediate payment within 48 hours, if not at the time of pick-up. Recently the company even rolled out video chat appointments in select states, allowing customers to have their car appraised via chat. As mobility needs have shifted in a post-pandemic world, with drivers looking for more affordable options, millennials giving up city life in favor of more rural settings in considerable numbers, amended commuting routines, and more, consumers have been clear about the need for a fast, reliable vehicle sale solution.
In the spirit of skipping the process of listing one’s vehicle on a digital marketplace, haggling with potential buyers and sifting through non-serious offers, then eventually handling the paperwork with a stranger, Carvana provides a real-time, no-haggle offer in just two minutes, and then comes and picks the vehicle up and brings the seller a check—it’s that easy. So much so, that Carvana set a company record in 2021 for vehicles sourced from customers.
Carvana began focusing on building real infrastructure to support purchasing vehicles from customers in 2018 with a small team of 12 Customer Advocates working with Google Sheets and banging gongs with each purchase made. The company soon realized that this was an incredible way to delight customers, eventually resulting in a steady NPS score of 90+ and A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau for more than three years running. Now, Carvana regularly services tens of thousands of customers each month, as selling, or trading in, one’s vehicle online becomes increasingly popular by the day.
With more than a million cars now purchased from customers, and another million to buy ahead, Carvana remains consistently focused on refining this side of the vehicle transaction experience with the intent to continue simplifying the automotive value chain, diversify its nationwide inventory, and help continue powering the growing trend of upcycling taking hold with consumers across a variety of industries and verticals.
