How many times have you heard that the customer is always right? Whether true or not, being able to deliver flexible solutions to the consumer has been a make-or-break factor for years. From booking flights to ordering take out, shopping for holiday gifts to getting a vehicle valuation, consumers expect choices in how and where transactions are completed.
The trend toward remote shopping is shaping automotive industry and it’s here to stay. Today, there is an undeniable need to be able to meet the consumer wherever they are, whether it be virtual, in person, or somewhere in between.
Dealers rely on their Digital Storefront more than ever before. Whether your website is optimized to the hilt or a work in progress, stay up to date on new ways to improve consumer experience and efficiency.
Communicate New Services
As you are refining your dealership operations and Digital Storefront to meet business needs, consider your display and communication strategy. Consumer experiences should be consistent and focused for your in-person showroom as well as your digital showroom. If your dealership is spotless, organized, and frequently changing out signage for new offers and services, then your Digital Storefront should mirror this.
Dealers now have the digital tools to tell consumers how safe and easy it is to complete a purchase from the safety of their home. Share new services as they are relevant for your dealership, such as contactless pick-up and service, updated building sanitation standards, and extended test drives. This lets them know that they still have options for how to purchase their next vehicle or service, taking some stress out of the process.
Facilitate 1-on-1 Interactions
If there is one thing that hasn’t changed over the course of 2020, it’s that people still crave interaction with others. This certainly applies to consumers who are shopping for a new vehicle or scheduling service. Fortunately, there are new tools to make this interaction more user-friendly, efficient and enjoyable for both the consumer and dealer
Guide shoppers through a remote car buying process while replicating in-store interactions with these tools:
- Video Chat lets consumers interact with your sales staff within the automobile leads workflow. Â
- Co-Browsing lets your staff screenshare and guide shoppers through deal creation.
Guide Consumers to Speed Up Conversion
After looking at key website metrics collected over several months, User Experience experts observed that the time on site went down. This is a good thing, because it translated to quicker lead conversion. What made this improvement possible?
The launch of Dynamic Inventory and Full-Site Search spurred a new way of thinking about the value of consumer time on site and how to make the most of it. The new objective is to maximize efficiency, which is achieved by quickly guiding consumers to the critical inventory or service information they need. Type-ahead efficiency and predictive results are two features of these new products that help guide your shoppers to inventory and prevent dead ends during their search. And of course, these tools are built for today’s modern, mobile-first consumer.
Deliver Relevant Content
Here is a challenge: how do you introduce the most relevant content to shoppers on their first visit to your website? The answer is Experience Optimization, a website personalization tool that is powered by Cox Automotive data.
This powerful solution lets the dealer vary the experience throughout the website for each shopper, such as by swapping out slides, specials, banners, and/or content. It can also pull in fresh creative, specials, and offers based on their browsing history. This personalized experience applies to both vehicle shoppers and fixed ops customers, which means it stretches across the ownership cycle and creates more value for your dealership.
Explore more ways to invest in your Digital Storefront and remove barriers for digital shoppers. By implementing the latest digital marketing technology to support an efficient and personalized consumer experience, you will pave the way for meeting shoppers however and wherever they choose to shop.
Wondering if it might be time to change digital marketing providers? Download eBook Analyze Your Website Metrics for key next steps and questions to ask your team.