Today’s car shoppers have unprecedented access to information to support their car buying process. The availability of data and information across the value chain is steadily increasing. Consumers know more about auto specs, discounts, performance, and quality than ever before. In fact, a study from Nielsen revealed that consumers are 5X more dependent on digital content than they were five years ago when it comes to researching and making a purchase decision. But how does this information transparency impact the buying process? How can dealers take advantage of it to win in the marketplace?
With increased access to data, the digital shopper is well informed by the time they get to the lot. They’re still interested in coming to the dealership to learn more, but they’re starting from a different point in the process. As a dealer, this means it’s important to have great online merchandising of your inventory, including displaying high quality photos of the actual vehicle you’re listing. Stock photos from the manufacturer just won’t work for these savvy shoppers. Furthermore, it’s important to have it listed in multiple places. Over 80% of CarGurus’ shoppers visit three or more websites when buying a car. By having your inventory listed in multiple places, you’ll increase the likelihood of being found.
In order to win with the digital shopper, it’s important to take advantage of mobile search as well. With the prevalence of smart phones, consumers are never more than a click away from even more information. According to a Deloitte study, 90% of consumers check their smartphones within 1 hour of waking up and almost 10% of consumers check their smartphones more than 100 times per day. We’re addicted to our phones and the data they provide. As a result, it’s important to list your inventory on a site that is mobile-optimized. This doesn’t mean that you need to go and create your own mobile app, but it does mean that you need to take advantage of mobile options available on the market.
Through their research process, the digital shopper considers advice from many different influencers. As a dealer, you can use each of these influencers to your advantage with the digital consumer. For example, you can use branded content from your dealership or from manufacturers to build awareness and drive home key messages. You can also use positive, consumer- generated reviews to provide additional support to messages that you’re trying to communicate. It’s always easier to have consumers tell your story in their own words! Finally, third-party reviews or pricing validation from expert sources provide further support to show your value proposition to shoppers.
If you’re interested in learning more tips to win with the digital shopper in the transparency age, tune in on July 21st. During the webinar, we’ll share additional insight into how to take advantage of information transparency in order to win with the digital shopper. At the end of the webinar, you’ll have four tangible best practices that you can begin to implement at your dealership.