“The business model of having fixed stores and demanding that customers come to us is ready for disruption.” This was the recent response given by Cadillac President Johan de Nyscchen when asked about the greatest challenge facing the automotive industry as it grapples with meeting changing consumer preferences1.
It is no surprise to anyone that car shopping can be considered stressful. In fact 50% of millennials would rather clean house than deal with a car salesman and 26% would rather do their taxes1. However, the sad reality is that our industry is still far behind in embracing change to improve the buying experience.
Of the average three hours that a consumer spends at the dealership trying to buy his vehicle, more than half of that time is spent negotiating or doing paperwork, resulting in a dismal 56% satisfaction rate for the process1.
With retail big boxes reducing or eliminating their brick and mortar because of migrating shopping practices, it is incumbent upon dealers to reinvent how they meet consumers while shopping and researching online and to demonstrate that their time is valued.
Online Shopper by Dealer Inspire has created a platform whose primary focus is providing a truly exceptional car-buying experience for the customer – online. The auto shopper could be relaxing by his pool or sitting in an airport 1000 miles away. At her convenience, and probably more quickly than could be accomplished in the storefront, the shopper can peruse vehicles and payment options, negotiate cost and look at his available rebates, schedule a test drive if she wants, or go ahead and choose a delivery option. Hey, this sounds just like Amazon, right?
There’s a virtual visit to the showroom floor and/or to the blacktop to look at inventory. And the shopper has the option to speak or chat with a sales person if he chooses. 60% of shoppers want to avoid the sales pressure at the dealership but still want to negotiate price1. Online Shopper offers the best of both worlds and saves hours of time by allowing the paperwork drudgery to be completed at the customer’s convenience, most likely in the comfort of his own home. There is a brief window of opportunity to be at the forefront of this impending change in auto shopper behavior. Read on to find out more.