In light of shortages of microchips, economic dips, and the pandemic biting at our heels, the auto industry has had to examine its vulnerabilities—and it has found that digital technology is no longer an option reserved for the future but an integral part of the present.
An incredible 30% of all new car sales were completed online in the past year, compared to only 2% of total auto sales conducted over the internet before the pandemic. Moreover, customers have had such a positive experience with online car sales in the past two years that online car sales are only predicted to increase from now on.
With that being said, building a digital strategy for your auto dealership is crucial in this day and age, when the best car dealerships utilize sophisticated platforms like TAQ Auto, for example. These platforms bridge the gap between online and in-person automotive retail, to create the most outstanding experiences for their customers, giving them the full power to buy a car online and have it transported to their doorstep, all from the comfort of their homes.
Below, you can read more about how the digital retail experience is altering the world of car sales and what it can offer to your dealership and your clients if you decide to incorporate such tools in your everyday operations.
According to Google, 95% of vehicle buyers use digital devices to source information. Furthermore, it takes only three weeks for more than half of those prospective buyers to start their research online, twice as many as those who begin their research at a physical location. And although some car buyers start their research with an open mind, many already have a vehicle in mind by the time they get to a dealership, something that can change more quickly when digitally going through potential cars.
With people watching more car-related videos on Youtube, such as test drives, walk-throughs, and more, it’s clear that video research is by far the most effective and demanded format for encouraging brand consideration. Furthermore, it’s undeniable that consumers are influenced mainly by videos when they’re in the car buying process.
For that reason, dealers who want to sell more should look for ways to get potential target customers at the earlier, decision-less stage of car-buying by promoting their automotive product to these types of specialised internet platforms and offering the digital retail experience.
The digital automotive retailing system helps car dealers improve relationships with customers and enrich their experience, along with the system helping sell more cars and make more profits.
The most important thing digital retail can do is build trust and transparency with the clients, encouraging more loyalty and better customer relationships. In addition to that, digital auto retail can boost the connection between your customers and your dealership while increasing the margin on sales and your net profit at the same time.
This benefits your workers, too, by creating a more streamlined workflow, making your employees more motivated and happier, which is what every car dealership owner strives for. Furthermore, this new way of selling cars is the beam of the future, transforming how your dealership engages with customers and sells vehicles while extending dealership reach as people become more aware of the overall online car buying experience.
Customers feel like they have even more control over the car-buying experience and process if they do it online, by exploring potential cars at their own pace, on their own time, and by setting vehicle type and price range parameters by themselves.
Your clients can shop online anytime they want, with the virtual showroom of your car dealership always being open, and they can view the product late at night, after work, or at their earliest convenience. In other words, even in the hours most businesses aren’t open, your online platform keeps running 24/7, and you’re practically never closed for business. On top of that, this way, buyers get upfront information on every product specification, along with the range of loan alternatives, while shopping in a low-pressure, comfortable environment from their home.
Afterward, they can decide whether they want to take the next step and contact a real-life representative for a test drive, or just wrap their buying experience in an entirely online manner, without settling the details at the dealership, because digital retail offers clients the option of completing their purchase entirely remotely, without stepping foot into an actual, physical showroom.
With improvements in digital retail, there is no reason to settle for the traditional way of doing things. It’s time to rethink car-buying, a process that has been stuck in the same old groove for decades. Thanks to research and development that leads to creative new ways to sell cars, digital retail is now a more innovative and better way to evolve your car dealership business.
