Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. CEO Rich Kramer announced that the tiremaker will roll out phase one of its online tire sales program this week at the company’s annual shareholders meeting on Monday, according to the Akron Beacon Journal.
The Akron-based tiremaker announced at the company’s annual Dealer Conference its plans to become the first major tiremaker to open a direct e-commerce line to consumers.
“As you likely heard, Goodyear will become the first tire manufacturer in the U.S. to start selling consumer replacement tires online,” Kramer said. “In fact, we will launch the first phase of our rollout this week. This new buying option will allow consumers to purchase tires online and have them installed by authorized dealers.”
Tire Review has reached out to Goodyear for more information on its phased rollout.
A Goodyear spokesperson told Tire Review at the January Goodyear Dealer Conference that through Jan. 25, nearly 1,100 Goodyear dealers had committed to the program.
The online tire sales program will be driven through Goodyear.com and supported by both authorized Goodyear dealers and company-owned stores. Dealers participating in the program would receive a flat delivery commission, based on the type of tire and its size, as well as 100% of any mounting/balancing fees, disposal fees, and shop fees. After-sale road hazard or treadlife warranties are between the dealer and the customer.
