Royal Enfield Dealer FAQs
Overview
Who is Ekho:
Ekho is a dealer-connected online vehicle checkout platform that integrates with an OEM’s corporate website. It allows customers to complete the entire purchase process online while ensuring dealers earn full margin and F&I revenue. Ekho handles much of the the back-office work including taxes and fees while dealers fulfill the order and maintain the customer relationship.
Dealership Benefits:
Ekho helps your dealership by
- Capitalizing on sizable Royal Enfield website traffic (185,850 Americans ****visit the Royal Enfield website each month)
- Converting online leads that might otherwise be lost
- Processing sales with minimal effort on your part
- Driving incremental sales volume (up to 50% sales increases in some cases)
- Allowing you to earn full margin and F&I revenue
- Capturing younger buyers and those who prefer online purchasing (52% of all buyers plan to place their next vehicle order online -Mckinsey )
- Handling paperwork and regulatory compliance
Dealer FAQs - Royal Enfield Program
📦 Inventory & Sales Process
Q: How does Ekho connect to my inventory?
For v1 of the program, Ekho pulls inventory directly from Lightspeed DMS. For dealers not using Lightspeed, inventory will be pulled from the OEM warehouse inventory. If a unit is sold from the warehouse inventory and that same unit exists on a non-Lightspeed dealer’s lot, Royal Enfield will provide an additional 120 days of free flooring on the existing unit.
Q: What happens if a customer wants a model I don’t have in stock?
If a customer in your area wants a model not in your inventory, the OEM will backstop with warehouse inventory and will deliver the unit to your dealership. You’ll still earn full margin and F&I revenue on the sale. The Ekho platform will automatically check your inventory first, and if no matching unit (same model and colorway) is available, Ekho will order directly from Royal Enfield using your existing flooring line. Delivery typically takes 8-10 business days.
Q: How do you prevent double-selling inventory that’s in progress but not yet a finalized deal in the DMS?
As soon as a deal is created in your DMS (even before it’s finalized), Ekho will recognize it as an in-progress deal and won’t attempt to sell it online. For dealer inventory workflow, once a unit is assigned to an online order, it becomes “locked” and cannot be sold in-person.
Q: How do customers get assigned to my dealership?
Customers are assigned to the nearest dealership based on their registration address. Ekho calculates which dealer the deal belongs to, taking into account Retail Market Areas (RMAs).
Q: What Royal Enfield models will be available for purchase online through Ekho?
Models participating in the program:
- Himalayan (6 colors, 3 GMA)
- Scram 411 (7 colors, 3 GMA)
- Bear 650 (5 colors, 3 GMA)
- Super Meteor 650 (7 colors, 3 GMA)
- Shotgun 650 (4 colors, 3 GMA)
- Interceptor 650 (7 colors, 3 GMA)
- Continental GT 650 (5 colors, 3 GMA)
- Classic 350 (9 colors, 3 GMA)
- Bullet 350 (3 colors, 3 GMA)
- Hunter 350 (6 colors, 3 GMA)
- Meteor 350 (10 colors, 3 GMA)
Q: Will accessories be sold through Ekho as well?
To limit complexity, Royal Enfield has opted to offer 3 possible accessory add-ons per bike. The selected accessories are the most popular add-ons for each model.
Q: What if I don’t have an accessory in stock needed for an online sale?
If you don’t have an accessory in stock needed for a sale, you’ll need to order the part through your DMS. We’ll notify you when to do this through the Ekho Retailer portal. These parts will ship directly to you from the Royal Enfield Dallas warehouse. You must mark accessories as ordered in the Ekho Retailer Portal, and once they arrive, they should not be sold in-person. We strongly encourage you to purchase some portion of accessories ahead of time so your first couple of sales will be as smooth and simple as possible.
Q: What are the steps I must take to complete a sale?
The detailed steps include:
🔧 Pre-Fulfillment Actions:
- Complete PDI & Assembly - Install requested accessories and complete bike PDI
- Counter e-sign documents - E-sign sales and T&R docs available in the Ekho Retailer Portal
- Complete titling and registration - Use buyer information in the portal to create title requests, generate hard plates, and print registration
🚚 Fulfillment Actions:
- Coordinate & complete fulfillment - Contact buyer to arrange delivery/pickup
- Mark fulfillment as complete - Update fulfillment status in portal to receive final payout
✅ Post-Fulfillment Actions:
- Warranty registration - Register the unit in RENA Microsoft Dynamics Portal
- Cap the deal - (Lightspeed dealers only) Finalize deal in Lightspeed
💰 Dealer Compensation & Fees
Q: What do I earn on online sales through Ekho?
Dealers earn:
- Full Margin - 23% of MSRP
- Freight - $495
- PDI Fee - You’ll get to set your own rates
- Last-mile Delivery Fee - You’ll get to set your own rates
- Dealer Reserve - Reserve earned on financed orders
- F&I Product Upsell - Profits from F&I products purchased at checkout
- Additional Upsells - Opportunity for parts, service, and accessory upsells during pickup/delivery
Q: Can I set my own fees?
Yes, you can set your own PDI fee and delivery fee. Freight fee ($495) is consistent across dealers and will be passed to the buyer at checkout.
Q: Can I configure my own delivery options?
Yes, you can define your own delivery capabilities, including whether you want to offer delivery (or only pickup) and your associated delivery fee.
Q: How do payments work for online sales?
💵 For Cash Orders: You receive the MSRP immediately when the buyer pays. Ekho holds freight, PDI, delivery fees, and taxes and pays them to you upon fulfillment.
💳 For Financed Orders: You receive any down payment immediately when collected. Upon completion of pre-fulfillment action items, Ekho submits the funding package to the lender. Once funded, you receive the MSRP (less any previously paid down payment), with remaining fees paid upon fulfillment.
Q: For credit card purchases, what is the fee?
When customers pay by credit card through Ekho, standard processing fees apply (typically 3%). They’re automatically deducted from the payment before it reaches you. We don’t add any extra fees on top - these are just the normal costs of accepting card payments.
🏦 Financing & Backend Products
Q: How does financing work through Ekho?
Ekho handles the entire financing process, including application, document signing, and funding. When the customer is ready for delivery, all paperwork will be complete. Dealers will earn dealer reserve on qualifying financed deals. The buyer can get pre-qualified, apply, clear stipulations, and sign documents all within the Ekho platform.
Q: Will I still be able to sell F&I products?
Yes. Ekho will embed the sale of F&I products in the online checkout, and profits will be passed to you as the dealer. For v1, Ekho will surface backend F&I products from providers we have relationships with (who may be different from your current backend product providers), but you’ll still receive profits from these products being sold.
👥 Customer Experience & Lead Handling
Q: What happens with customers who want to negotiate or visit the dealership?
🏢 Potential Dealer Exception: If a dealer is only participating with a “leads-only” approach, customers only see “purchase in-person at dealership” option. Lead information is collected and emailed directly to the dealer.
🏪 Other Dealers: If customers select “Purchase in-person at dealership” anywhere in the process, their information becomes a lead in your Ekho Retailer Portal for follow-up.
❌ Financing Rejections: Customers rejected for financing or who decline offers are also surfaced as leads for dealer follow-up.
Q: What pricing will customers see online?
Customers see fully transparent pricing including:
- MSRP of the bike + price of accessories
- Estimated taxes and registration fees
- Freight fee ($495)
- PDI fee (your rate)
- Delivery fee (if applicable, your rate)
Note: To keep things transparent and consistent, units will have a floor of MSRP.
Q: Who will handle customer support during the purchase process?
Up until the time of coordinating and executing vehicle fulfillment, Ekho handles all customer support including financing, sales processing, titling and registration, identity verification, insurance, and technical support. You - the dealer - own support and communication around the fulfillment part of the order lifecycle. Ekho will notify you when this handoff occurs.
⚠️ Risk & Liability
Q: Who carries the liability if there’s fraud?
The dealer owns the liability; however, Ekho has advanced fraud detection systems to mitigate fraudulent buyers through:
- State-of-the-art fraud detection models (same models used by CarMax and others)
- ACH payments collected cannot be disputed (vendor-guaranteed)
- Identity verification and documentation collection with validation against national registries • All customer documentation (ID, etc.) will be provided to dealers before delivery
💡 Additional Protection: If you would like more information, please read an overview of our fraud detection methods here. Additionally, we encourage any dealers not satisfied with Ekho’s fraud practices to supplement our efforts with your own due diligence at time of fulfillment. You will have access to all customer documentation in the Ekho platform.
Q: What happens if a deal falls through after inventory is committed?
If an online deal falls through after Royal Enfield has shipped bikes or accessories to a dealer for a sale, Royal Enfield will restock any ordered items - bikes or accessories - at no charge to the dealer, if requested.
💻 Technical Integration
Q: Which DMS systems does Ekho currently support?
For v1 of the program, Ekho pulls inventory directly from Lightspeed DMS. For dealers not using Lightspeed, inventory will be pulled from the OEM warehouse inventory. Please reach out if you’re using another DMS and would like support - we’ll add it to our integration roadmap.
Q: How does Ekho handle accessory installation costs with Lightspeed?
When customers buy accessories through Ekho checkout, we automatically calculate installation costs using your dealership’s labor rates and expected hours. This gets written directly to your Lightspeed deal record.
Ekho calculates installation costs using your specific labor rate + estimated hours per accessory
Customers pay upfront for accessory + installation during online checkout
Deal syncs to Lightspeed with the installation cost we charged
There might be differences between what Ekho charges customers for installation vs. your actual service department costs.
Example Scenario:
• Inventory bike has accessories already installed
• Service team needs to remove existing accessories first
• Customer was only charged for new accessory installation
Q: How will inventory be updated when a sale occurs?
When orders take place online, Ekho will:
🏪 Dealer Inventory Workflow: Create a new deal in Lightspeed with the assigned VIN, effectively “locking” the unit
🏭 OEM Warehouse Workflow: Order the unit from Royal Enfield using your flooring line and create the deal once the unit arrives at your location
Q: How does location work for customer assignment?
Ekho uses the registration address of the buyer to identify the closest dealership.
🚀 Program Rollout & Next Steps
Q: When is the program going live?
The target launch date is June 16th, 2025.
Q: What are the next steps for getting set up?
In the next two weeks, expect an email from the Ekho team to set up a one-on-one onboarding session. During this session, you’ll get:
- Demo of the dealer portal • Walkthrough of how to complete a sale • Answers to your questions • Guidance on program details
Additionally, we’ll share more documentation in the coming weeks on the program.
Q: Who should attend the onboarding session?
Please ensure that attendees know details like:
- Direct deposit account information
- Dealership operating/support hours
- Your preferences on pricing delivery fees and PDI fees
📋 Important Program Notes
Q: What configurations are supported?
Two main configurations:
1️⃣ Dealer Inventory configuration: Orders fulfilled from your existing inventory when available with Royal Enfield warehouse inventory as a backstop [available to all Lightspeed dealers]
2️⃣ OEM Warehouse configuration: All orders fulfilled from Royal Enfield warehouse inventory
Q: What systems does Ekho integrate with?
- Lightspeed DMS - For inventory management and deal creation
- RENA Microsoft Dynamics Portal - For bike ordering
- Ekho Retailer Portal - For order management and status updates
Q: What should I know about the customer journey?
Florida customers will be geo-targeted and redirected to Ekho’s configurator only when physically located in FL. The system handles:
✅ Configurator
✅ Checkout
✅ Financing
✅ Documentation
✅ Insurance
🤝 Dealer handoff occurs at the fulfillment coordination stage