Online Connections Lacking at Dealerships
Study says stores tend to miss digital opportunities, suggests ways to beef up presence.
Strengtheing online presence would align with the fact that the vast majority of survey respondents say they rely on the internet to lead them to a dealership via reviews.
IMAGE: Pexels/Mikhail Nilov
A new study shows auto dealerships are failing to meet consumer expectations around digital communication and to maximize digital sale opportunities.
DAS Technology, a consumer-engagement technology provider, said the survey of more than 7,000 automotive consumers found that a minority of consumers – 37% – said they got payment options on their desired vehicle from dealers’ lead-response communications. And just 29% said the dealer included information on similar models when responding to them online, among other missed digital opportunities.
Just over 2% of survey respondents said they finished their car purchases all online, according to the study.
The results speak to a digital disconnect between dealerships and consumers, as they also show that the vast majority of respondents – 95% – say they rely on the internet to lead them to a dealership via online reviews, up sharply from 69% 10 years ago.
DAS recommends dealerships work to bridge the divide through various avenues:
Curate online reviews and set up automatic alerts of consumer engagement for fast dealership response.
Add artificial-intelligence-powered live chat while offering fast connection with a dealership staff person.
Leverage targeted online and streaming ads and social-media engagement.
Engage preorder customers as they wait.
Publicize special offers to electric-vehicle buyers, along with charging options.
DIG DEEPER: Wolters Kluwer Survey Points Up Digitization Efficiencies
Originally posted on Auto Dealer Today
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