• by Steve Smith  @popeyesm, August 14, 2012

Buying a car at your local Ford dealer? Now even your car salesperson has an app for that. Ford’s new dealer-focused Showcase app for iPad gives the salesperson the power to show a customer car features, customize a model and check inventory on the spot.

The new app is designed for co-use by salesperson and customer. Its three modes enable both ends of the sales chain to explore the lot for models, create a customized list or personal model for the customer and go into greater depth about technology and features on each car.

Ford says the app was made to streamline the current sales process and smooth out some of the common frustrations of shopping on the lot. We had tried using kiosks in the showroom to enable customers to check out vehicles and features,” says Michelle Moody, Cross Vehicle Marketing Manager, Ford, in a company statement. “But many customers were not as comfortable using these on their own.”

The Showcase app can build a customer’s ideal model and have it emailed directly from the app. The salesperson can review current inventory to narrow down choices to what is on the lot. And the plethora of new technology like Blind Spot Information Systems and Ford’s in-car information platform SYNC can be explained in the app via articles and video.

Ford says that it tested the Showcase app late last year at 14 Ford dealers, and opened the registration up on August 1 to all dealers. In just the first weeks, over 200 dealers have signed on. In future iterations of the app, dealers will be able to save and retrieve previous custom builds for specific customers.