The Automotive industry in 2020 looks vastly different to 10 years ago. If we head back 10 years we were still pouring money into bricks and mortar and trying to create a consumer experience within the showroom. Consumers visited approximately 5 dealers and drove cars at each one before deciding on their favourite. Steam ahead to the present day and if your digital strategy isn’t right then the bricks and mortar experience simply doesn’t matter. Why? Because over 85% of your car buyers will start their journey online, and almost half (47% to be exact) will buy a car after only 1 test drive. So if you can’t engage with them, where they are, when they need they’ll never make it to that new customer experience lounge with the free wi-fi and expensive coffee machine in the corner of your showroom.

So, now that we know most of our buyers are starting online what’s your dealership doing to capitalise on it? How are you making sure that your customer experience is as good online as it is offline? And is it really all about price?

For far too long, we have assumed that all customers care about is the best price of the car, but according to Google Insights, your shoppers are searching for much more than simply price. The top searches in Automotive include lifestyle fit, price range, features, comparisons and video. This means that If all you’re doing online is giving the cheapest price you’re missing the mark on so many levels that once again you’ve lost the conversation before any words have even been spoken.

65% of the car-buying population buy a car that is a different make to their last car every time.

What About Loyalty?

Aussies used to be loyal to their brand, but if what’s happening with Holden – the great Aussie brand – is anything to go by, Australians are far less loyal than we’d like to think. In fact, 65% of the car-buying population buy a car that is a different make to their last car every time. Now, this may sound like the end of an era, but really it gives us far more opportunity to connect and be top of mind when someone goes to purchase their next car.

41% of online shoppers will visit your dealer website before buying, so if they get there and there’s no-one answering the door chances are they’ll shop somewhere else.

Consumers, now more than ever before want to interact with you on their terms in their space. I can’t imagine a dealership, or store opening their doors without having any staff to serve their customers, but that’s effectively what we’re doing online. We spend all this money to build a great website, we add video and plenty of call to actions, then neglect to man it and speak with our website customers at the time and place they want to talk. Now, I can here you thinking “That’s ok, they only go to the manufacturer or 3rd party sites anyway.” the data proves you wrong. 41% of online shoppers will visit your dealer website before buying, so if they get there and there’s no-one answering their questions chances are they’ll shop somewhere else.

Live Chat is about taking that great live experience that your customer receives in your showroom and giving it to them when they’re ready, in their comfort zone, on your website. Now, more than ever with shifting work schedules, work-life balance and so much of the population connected 24/7 we need to make the change. We need to learn to connect via our websites  and speak their language.

Live chat service providers know better than anyone that it’s all about the conversation, making auto dealer chat a must for every dealer, Australia wide.

*statistics provided by https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/intl/en-aunz/consumer-insights/path-purchase-new-car-buyers-why-aussie-brands-and-oems-need-digital-first-strategy/

• Author Details

Author Details

Tracey Horey

CEO of Live Chat Agent

Tracey Horey is a 20 year veteran of the Automotive industry and has been writing Automotive content and helping Dealerships optimise their digital space for over 15 years. Her experience working with various sized dealerships and her passion for exploring and understanding new tools for the auto industry has given her an in depth understanding of the challenges all dealerships face in a changing landscape.

accounts@livechatagent.com.au

1800 332 428