You can buy just about anything online these days, so naturally bikes are next. Many companies have already made the transition to online sales of some sort, though how they go about it varies from one to another. Kona announced today that they would be throwing their hat into the online sales ring with the Kona Ride Online USA and Ride Online Canada. Consumers can purchase the bikes online but then will have to head to the Kona dealer of their choice to pick it up…
Not sure where to begin? The Ride Online site allows you to easily compare models to make the selection process a bit easier. There are also personnel available through the site to help narrow your choice even further. This is an important part of the process due to the fact that if you make a mistake and order the wrong bike, you’ll be subject to a 20% restocking fee – and returns are only accepted on unridden bikes in as new condition.
Once selected, the ordering process will direct you to the closest Kona dealer or the dealer of your choice who will ultimately fulfill the order. Kona states that if the store has the bike in stock it can be ready in about 2 days. If it has to be shipped to the dealer, delivery time could vary between 4 and 7 days (2 days processing, and 2-5 days delivery). Bikes ordered online will have the same professional assembly as those purchased in store as well as the warranty. Anything over $1000 ships for free, but bikes under that price will include an additional $50 shipping charge. Bikes will also be subject to the local sales tax based on their delivery location.
Kona sought to make the program beneficial to the consumers, but also their dealers. While a 3% processing fee will be taken out of each sale, dealers can still get up to 100% of their regular margin as long as they stock at least one model from the same bike line. They gave the example of a consumer ordering a Roadhouse, the dealer would then get 100% of their margin (minus the 3% processing fee) if they stock any other model from the steel road bike platform like the Paddy Wagon, Penthouse, or Wheelhouse. Even if the dealer hasn’t had something in the platform in stock within the last 12 months, they’ll still receive 80% of their sales margin.
Currently limited to the USA and Canada, each has separate websites and shipping locations with bikes coming from Ferndale, WA for U.S. customers and from Vancouver, BC for Canadian.
