When researching, consumers don’t look for information on auto brand websites alone, they visit comparison sites to check prices and user reviews before even setting foot inside a dealership.
Some 56% of new buyers most commonly start at a third-party site and end up at a dealer website. Year on year, traffic to automotive research sites has increased by 12%, while dealerships have seen a 2% decrease to their websites. Websites such as TrueCar and Edmunds provide customers with relevant and timely information in a few simple clicks.
This rise in popularity of ‘neutral’ information sources demonstrates the significant need for dealerships to provide the necessary information for customers in a seamless and accessible way online, so they don’t have to fish in another pond.
Takeaway: For auto-dealers, it’s key to consider having a presence on influential and popular third-party websites both on a local and national scale as part of their marketing strategy to remain the number one choice in the buyer’s mind throughout the entire customer journey.
Technology is Changing the Customer Experience
Video Marketing
Video is making the car buyer’s research process much easier while creating an experience that is much more relevant and personalized.
From virtual test drives, 360-degree views of the interior, or exterior walkarounds. 56% of car buyers said they could be convinced to buy a car from a 360-degree video without even having to drive the vehicle.
A perfect example of this is BMW’s video campaign “#BMWSTORIES”. The idea behind this campaign was to showcase their customer’s personal stories, and how the BMW brand helped them through their emotional, real-life journeys.
With 33 videos in total, which have received anywhere from 7K to 14M views on each video, #BMWStories drives, on average, a 5x engagement rate compared to the average automotive brand.
Takeaway: It’s important to give potential buyers visual insights that go beyond an image. Train employees so they can use platforms such as YouTube or Facebook Video to provide detailed demonstrations, displays and even test drives of your vehicles could have a greater influence on a person visiting your dealership.
Virtual Reality
With the release of virtual and augmented reality, VR is already making waves across industries. But the automotive industry is one step ahead.
Car manufacturers are trying to use both virtual and augmented reality technology to deliver the best vehicle experiences to consumers. According to Digi-Capital, the augmented/virtual reality forecasted revenue is to hit $120 billion by 2020.
Shop Smart Autos is not responsible for any errors in price or vehicle information provided to us from our dealer partners. We take every precaution to ensure the information is accurate and correct. Any questions please contact the dealer.
