As digital world expands, fewer customers will be visiting
The demise of traditional brick-and-mortar stores is a story consumers are becoming all too familiar with. Online shopping continues to grow annually, and traditional sectors like the auto dealership industry are adapting to be more competitive in this new economic reality.
How do auto dealers exist and thrive in a world that is increasingly moving towards a digital sphere? The first part of the solution lies in understanding just what exactly are the online consumer trends and what motivates consumers to visit a bricks and mortar dealership.
Customers are not shopping just from their desktop computers. In the age of smartphones and tablets, more than half of all the Internet traffic is coming from mobile devices and companies are starting to adapt.
Starbucks, for example, rolled out a mobile order and pay service, allowing customers to order and pay ahead to minimize wait times for their lattes. Even electric vehicle chargers have been catered to the smartphone user, with payment options available for mobile wallets.
What smartphones have created for the everyday customer is a quick and effortless way to not just buy on the go, but a platform to research while browsing products. Customers come into the dealership already educated by online reviews, model research and consumer reports.
But what can dealerships do to accommodate the changing habits of consumers? In an age where consumers can purchase clothes, technology, food and almost every other good online, experts are finding that those who do go to physical stores are going for the experience.
According to Deloitte Consulting’s The Future of Auto Retailing, buyers today compare the quality of every buying experience to every other one, regardless of the product or the service. Deloitte also found that Generation Y shoppers (shoppers born between the years 1981 and 2001) value purchase experience three times more than vehicle design and over half of shoppers prefer a positive experience over the lowest price.
Although the Internet will still be the go-to for comparisons and reviews, dealerships need to provide a positive experience that the customer won’t forget.
What this means for dealers is that today’s shoppers are looking for more customer interaction and expert advice to enhance their pre-visit research. What’s also interesting is that the mobile e-commerce trend has also given rise to clothing “showrooms” as an alternative to traditional stores — a model that is all too familiar to auto dealerships.
The clothing showroom model works exactly like how it sounds. Customers visit a showroom where they can browse, ask questions and be attended to by customer representatives, but don’t actually purchase any of the items on display. The customer instead, receives a tailored shopping experience and is matched to the item they’re shopping for that can be either shipped to them or picked up.
All this goes to show is that dealerships have a lot to gain from delivering top-notch customer service that is not only informative, but attentive and personalized as well.
Customer service needs to start before the customer enters the dealership. In the digital world, that means having an up-to-date website that outlines information and the services provided, and a strong social media presence to answer any customer questions.
Having a feature that allows customers to schedule a service appointment online can also cater to mobile shoppers.
Although the Internet will still be the go-to for comparisons and reviews, dealerships need to provide a positive experience that the customer won’t forget.
