Is Your Auto Dealership Ready for Digital Retailing in 2021?

Is Your Auto Dealership Ready for Digital Retailing in 2021?

by Auto Dealer MarketingCar Sales

Digital Retailing Goes Big

The world in general, especially auto dealerships, is going to look a lot different in 2021 than it did just a few years ago. Online shopping and digital retailing has been growing at approximately 20% per year, according to Adobe Analytics and the National Retail Federation.

Make sure your dealership can be a part of this by scheduling a demonstration of our mobile app!

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Trends in Car Shopping

Driven in part by 2020’s lockdowns and stay-at-home orders, people are doing more and more shopping from their smartphones in the comfort of their own couches. We’ve all gotten used to browsing online, paying electronically, and having the goods delivered to our doorsteps.

Well, the big brown trucks aren’t likely to become car carriers any time soon, but there’s every reason to believe that digital retailing is the way for dealerships to grow and thrive. Consulting firm McKinsey & Company reports that fewer than one-third of younger drivers plan to buy their next cars in person at a dealership lot, and many would prefer to have absolutely no contact with any sales people at all (it’s not you, though, it’s them, we promise!). Cars.com surveys show that these buyers would prefer to handle all negotiations online, and this includes obtaining financing as long as they can also get full disclosures and accurate quotes.

The digital retailing train has pulled out of the station and you can make sure that your dealership is on it by scheduling a demonstration of our mobile app today.

The Industry Is Ready

The automotive industry is prepared to embrace the trend toward digital retailing. There are now platforms that leverage big data, analytics, and technology to provide both dealers and consumers with a seamless online car shopping experience from “window shopping” through contracts, financing, taxes and tags, and everything else that goes into getting ready to drive away.

Some of the automotive industry sectors that these platforms cover include:

Manufacturing: Information is collected on every make, model, and trim line offered by every manufacturer. Information is also collected on every possible rebate or incentive, including VIN-specific, option package-specific, region-specific, and dealer-specific offers, as well as whether these incentives can be combined or stacked.

Lending: Complete information is available for every published program offered by every lender in the country, for borrowers ranging from subprime through excellent credit. This includes all factors that could influence a purchasing or lending transaction, including parameters, policies, and other program-specific criteria.

Dealership: This includes information on every dealership’s required terms and conditions, including individual price rules, fees, lender relationships, reserve policies, and anything else that might be relevant. This is extremely useful when considering how your dealership should position and present itself to consumers.

Consumer: Information is available on all consumer credit bands and how they are classified, collected, and considered by every lender or manufacturer financing program.

Municipal and Government: This includes everything that any dealership needs to know about state, county, and local legalities such as laws, rules and regulations, tax percentages, calculations, registration fees, and other Department of Motor Vehicles Information.

Dealerships that are considering moving into or strengthening their digital retailing strategies – and that should be every dealership! – would do well to make sure that they can access all this information to make their online showrooms more attractive and accessible to potential buyers. Schedule a demonstration of our mobile app today so that you can see how easy and convenient it can be.

Is Your Auto Dealership Ready for Digital Retailing in 2021?
Is Your Auto Dealership Ready for Digital Retailing in 2021?

Is Your Dealership Ready?

The country is opening back up again, which means that people will be working and driving and buying and spending. But 2021 is going to look very different from 2019, and one of the changes that looks as if it’s here to stay is “from home.” Going forward, a lot of us are going to be working from home, worshiping from home, schooling from home, and shopping from home – even for cars.

It’s true that it’s a sellers’ market now, but this doesn’t mean that all sellers and all markets are going to come out on top. You are no longer competing with just the dealership down the street; the market is wide open and geography is not the limiting factor that it once was.

Dealerships need to get with the times if they don’t want to be left behind. This includes creating attractive virtual showrooms, figuring out how to arrange test drives and deliveries, and most importantly, presenting potential buyers with all the information they could want or need right on their smartphones.

Today and tomorrow’s buyers demand complete access and transparency. They want to know how to get the best car, with the best options, at the best price, on the best terms, with the best financing. Learn how to make this kind of digital retailing happen for them by scheduling a demonstration of our mobile app today.

How to Increase Fixed Ops Revenue with a Mobile App

How to Increase Fixed Ops Revenue with a Mobile App

by Auto Dealer MarketingFixed OpsMobile App Development

How Does a Mobile App Affect Your Fixed Ops Revenue?

We’ve all been affected by COVID-19, and that is especially true for the business world. If you’re in charge of the fixed ops division at your dealership, you might be wondering how to keep things productive and making money during this horrible pandemic, especially since so many people are now working from home. 

But not to worry because since the digital world is here to help, the only thing you need to make sure your business stays afloat are a few tips, some suggestions and a good mobile app for your dealer.

Just because you’re working from home doesn’t mean you can’t stay connected with your customers. There are numerous marketing strategies that will help keep your sales numbers up and your service department busy. You can schedule a lot of these strategies via your cellphone, where you can also check the status and the analytics of each program you choose so that you know what your numbers are. 

For the most part, there are at least five different areas you can concentrate on to help all areas of your dealership survive and thrive during COVID-19. 

They are described below.

  • Become intimate with your inbox. Rather than only concentrating on sending out e-blasts and nothing else, you should go all out when it comes to your email marketing program. Compared to many other marketing programs, email programs that have a specific goal in mind go a long way in converting your current customers into customers for your service department. Send a targeted email out describing a service discount or sale. Most people need something done on their vehicle at any given time, so it should be easy to drive those people to the service bays.
How to Increase Fixed Ops Revenue with a Mobile App
  • Build up your service department so that everyone knows how great they are. By using a variety of online marketing techniques and your mobile app, you can boast about the many things your service department can do. Target people who haven’t had their cars serviced in a while and people who declined any type of long-term warranty. Current customers should be targeted because they are the most likely to visit your service department, if not immediately, sometime in the near future. New car buyers especially tend to be conscious about how well their vehicles are maintained, so make sure you include them in any digital marketing programs you initiate. This is something your fixed ops division can do that is both simple and efficient.

  • Enhance your website and make sure it is current and offers valuable information. Get online and update your site, making sure you highlight your service department. Make sure any service-related questions that customers might have are answered; in other words, try your best to be proactive. Customers will look to your website when they have any questions about any part of your business, and if service-related information just happens to be on there, they are very likely to go toward it. Even if they’re not currently needing service on their vehicle, they’ll remember that information for the future.

  • Think about your mindshare. When you plan your marketing campaign, try to utilize various platforms so that you reach as many people as possible. Keep in mind that your ultimate goal is to keep your company in the back of their minds. We’re not just talking about current customers; this also means giving some attention to shoppers and other potential customers so that they remember you later on when they need you. After all, a fixed ops department’s job is to make sure all of the departments in the dealership are successful and thriving, and since you can do so many of these things on a mobile app, you can create and monitor marketing campaigns even if it’s the middle of the night.

  • Make sure you consider your search engine results page (SERP), which is crucial for bringing in new customers. This page is the first exposure they’ll get to your company, so you want to make sure it is absolutely perfect. Remember that this is the page they’ll be directed to when performing an Internet search, so you should use a combination of Organic, Paid, and Map Pack search results. You want visibility, but if your SERP isn’t tended to, viewers will quickly move onto something else.

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A Few Final Thoughts

Managing your fixed ops department during the pandemic isn’t as challenging as you might think. All you have to do is set some goals and have a strategic marketing plan all laid out so that you use a variety of platforms to target certain customers. When customers download your dealership’s mobile app, you can interact with them from anywhere, which saves you a lot of time and helps you make money. No dealership has to go it alone, and if you’re curious about apps that work and you’d like to see a demo, all you have to do is contact us whenever you’re ready.

How Car Dealers Can Use a Mobile App to Keep Customers Engaged

How Car Dealers Can Use a Mobile App to Keep Customers Engaged

by Auto Dealer MarketingCar SalesMobile App Development

Mobile phones and their mobile apps are the most popular way for people to search for the services they want and need.

This offers dealers an enormous opportunity to establish relationships with customers and leads, and they can communicate directly with customers and people who might use their services. If you are looking to increase your engagement and build loyalty with your customers, creating a mobile app is a great idea.

Your Mobile App Creates Brand Recognition

When a customer finds your site, you should have an offer to download your mobile app. This way, the icon with your name is on the screen of their smartphones each time they look at it. This helps to create brand recognition so that when they need an oil change or want to look for a new car, they will think of your dealership. If the app is user friendly, they will use it before doing an online search. Your dealership name will stand out in their minds and they will refer you to their friends and families.

You Can Offer Promotions and Other Discounts

Another way to keep customers engaged through your mobile app is to offer promotions and other discounts. For example, if you have a promotion, it can show up as a notification on the app. Your customers will open the app to find out what it is. As long as you are offering promotions that your customers want, you will increase your revenue this way. This helps you to stay engaged with your customers, which helps to develop a relationship and build trust.

If you have a dealership, creating a mobile app for your customers can help you engage with them.

You Can Compile Data on Your Customers to Improve Your Business

When you have a mobile app, you get valuable data on your customers so that you can learn more about them. You can custom tailor your services and promotions to improve your customers’ experiences. The key to customer retention is making sure that they feel appreciated and valued, and when you have data that helps you to understand their needs, you can do this more efficiently.

How Car Dealers Can Use a Mobile App to Keep Customers Engaged

You Can Boost Engagement to Help Improve Your Business

In addition to offering promotions and discounts, you can conduct surveys and polls. You can find out what customers prefer, including size of cars, styles, colors, trunk space, how many people it holds, and more. This gives you more specific data on each customer so that you can send them information and offers that relate directly to their interests. This is a great way to build a relationship and create trust with potential customers.

You Can Entice Your Customers with High Impact Videos

Customers love to see videos of a test drive, interior features, and close looks at the exterior of vehicles. This gives them an opportunity to virtually experience a vehicle before they come in to make a purchase. You can include these types of videos so that customers can gather more information on cars they are interested in purchasing or leasing. This might help them to take that next step of coming in and test driving it or purchasing it.

You Can Use a Mobile App to Personalize a Customer’s Experience

Another benefit to a mobile app is that you can personalize your customers’ experiences. You will be able to address them by their first names, and you can customize the information they receive by tracking their preferences. You can simplify the process of selecting a car for them by helping them remember what they are interested in, and you can let them know when you offer incentives to purchase the model they like best.

You Can Create a VR Test Drive Experience

Virtual reality is becoming more and more common, and you can use it to provide your customers with a virtual test drive of the vehicle they prefer. The technology is similar to what you use in a video game, and your customers will enjoy seeing what it might feel like to drive the car they want to buy. This also gives you an opportunity to develop your brand name and engage with your customers.

Your Customers Can Build Their Dream Vehicles

Another feature that you can include is one where your customers can build the vehicle they desire. This allows them to see the car they want before they come in. They can match their version with cars you have available, and they can save it for future reference. They can make changes if they change their minds, and they can see the car they want to buy. This may help to give them the push they need to come in and see the real version.

Final Words

If you have a dealership, creating a mobile app for your customers can help you engage with them. This builds brand recognition and customer loyalty so that they will come to you when they are ready to purchase a car or need services performed.