The most important thing to do when you are part of a market where demands are constantly changing is to find a way to stay on top of them all. This is a crucial aspect of having a competitive edge against other rivals in the industry. This is particularly true for the automotive industry, which is fast-paced and highly competitive in nature, not to mention the highly demanding disposition of its consumers.
Consumers are increasingly turning towards technology as a source of information for all their pre- shopping procedures in-store, such as finding out about a specific make and model, its features, pricing options and any other detail that might be of interest to them. This presents a phenomenal opportunity to boost sales by leveraging said technology to get a better understanding of your consumers.
Online shopping and purchase-based research has had a huge impact over the past few years with more than 50% of consumers buying products online every week or month and more than 60% of them being influenced by consumer reviews whilst making a decision. The businesses that engage technology in such a way as to capitalize on such activity are the ones staying ahead of the curve.
Enhancing Shopping Experiences
The key to creating a more seamless shopping experience is to tie together the offline and online sales activities. It’s understandable that at this point most dealerships are unprepared to begin selling directly online but there are yet other measures that can be taken to reinvent the shopping experience and also show that you listen to their needs.
- Understanding their Problems
Its common knowledge that people tend to avoid dealerships for a number of reasons that vary from consumer to consumer. In such a situation trying to identify where those problems lie and actively working on them can allow for a more pleasant shopping experience.
Some customers may find the whole ordeal extremely time-consuming, or do not enjoy the process of bargaining while others may even be looking for better features. Accelerating the process and boosting communication with consumers can be a great step towards a memorable interaction.
- Provide a Better Online Experience
The norm used to be going to about five different dealerships before finalizing on a vehicle, but today it’s an average of one dealership per purchase. This indicates that an increasing number of consumers are getting the necessary information online.
Creating a more engaging online experience that is quick to resolve queries with Chatbots and other such website technological augmentations can influence buyers into making their way to your dealership. A good online experience can most certainly drive more buyers into your brick and mortar where you can cash with the best in in-person sales tactics.
- Customize the Experience
Customers are a huge fan of customized experiences because it gives the impression that companies are paying attention to their needs. Each time a representative gives out information pertaining to satellite radio, automated parking, navigation or entertainment systems they are letting the customer know what they can expect in-depth product knowledge every time they visit your dealership. BMW is one such example where they focus on training their “product geniuses” whose sole purpose is to inform consumers on vehicle features.
- Adopt Novel Approaches
A couple of auto dealerships have attempted to enhance how they traditionally approach sales with pop-up showrooms in malls and other attempts at improving online sales. This is a slow-burn approach that is based on how well consumers respond to changing sales tactic and other such marketing schemes.
One such instance is where consumers have been open to embracing new shopping procedure employed by dealerships where haggling and tediously long purchase processes have been eliminated. No spiffs, no commissions as well as a one hour out the door guarantee have all boosted the way consumers feel about car sales in a positive way.
Are you interested in harnessing digital technology to elevate your dealership? Our team at SalesCatcher would be delighted to assist you. Adapting to an age of digital transformation is the only way forward for any industry. Cater to consumers and achieve greater agility with SalesCatcher’s Intelligent Offering (iO). Our AI orchestration platform – iOFlow, working in tandem with our intelligent RPA tool – iOBot can create a highly customized experience for each of your consumers. If you’d like to find out more our AI team at SalesCatcher would be happy to help.
