Car showrooms are finally open, and the automotive industry is set to soar!
Whilst we will all be enjoying the surge in business through in-person visits, it is crucial that dealerships don’t neglect those customers whose buying habits differ. Are you as prepared to sell to those customers who now want to buy a car from their home as you are to those who still want the in-person touch?
Introducing the customer spectrum
Customer A: Will complete the whole car buying journey start to finish in person, at the car dealership.
Customer B: Does not want to step into the dealership at all, will complete entire process online, from the convenience of their own home.
Obviously, there are two extreme differences and most people out there will land somewhere in the middle.
Customer C: Sits in between, they may take part of the journey online and some in person. As the saying goes, “you get the best of both worlds”.
So, ask yourself, do you want to cater to the whole market or just a proportion? Not having the complete end to end purchasing option available could deter a section of the market.
A great way to view the approach of car buyers is on a spectrum;
But slowly and surely, we are seeing the percentage shift from traditional to digital, and there are many reasons as to why…
Why have car buying habits changed?
Generational Shift
Let’s look at the changing customer demographics – the newest generation of car buyers, those born 2004 + (scary I know), have grown up with technology and the ability to have access to anything they please with the click of a mouse, actually no, with the touch of a screen. So, having the ability to buy a car online will be expected by them.
Big Market Players
An explanation for the growth of online car buying is due to key players in the market, looking at the likes of Cazoo and Cinch who use heavy advertisement and re-enforce the ease and accessibility of buying a car online. If buying a car online wasn’t what car buyers wanted, these companies wouldn’t be doing it, let alone be doing it so well.
Covid 19
Covid has a lot to answer for but one thing we are not mad about is the fact that the pandemic has encouraged the usage of e-commerce in automotive. It has, to an extent, forced the automotive industry to develop digitally. Even though the pandemic is now coming to an end, there will still be customers who may be wary of venturing out of the house initially they will still be utilising the online way of buying for some time. But enough about Covid…
Get more leads from your website
Digital should complement the physical showroom, working symbiotically; it should be a means of making your job easier not harder. Taking advantage of all the solutions available provide leads you would never receive otherwise.
In summary, it is beneficial for business growth to accommodate all types of customer, whether they want to do part of the process online and part in store, all online or all in store – let the customer take control of their car buying journey.
Our website packages come with the option to activate e-commerce as standard, or if you are happy with your current provider, we can add our reserve or buy online tool on your current website seamlessly. Let’s book a demo to discuss how – contact us on 01757211700 or sales@autoweb.co.uk.
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