The automotive industry has evolved rapidly over the past decade.
Due to significant growth in factors like technology, innovation and media, the industry has experienced changes to a customer’s buying journey to such an extent that 59% of car purchasers now spend their time researching online.
In the US, vehicle sales are slowing down. Consumers are holding onto their cars for longer and buying less often – an average of 6.5 years today compared to 4.3 years just a decade ago.
For automotive dealers facing these challenges, the goal is to make the digital experience work in harmony with the dealership one.
In this article, we explore 5 key ways digital is transforming the car buying experience.
How Consumers Research Cars
The automotive consumer journey is one of the most complex of all industries. Although customers still purchase their vehicles at dealerships, most of the decision-making and influential moments happen beforehand online.
According to Google, 95% of vehicle buyers use digital as a source of information and it takes 65% of buyers just 3 weeks to research online. In fact, twice as many start their research online versus at a dealer.
When car buyers start their research, 6 out of 10 are undecided and open to different model and vehicle options. However, by the time they actually make it to a dealership, they often already know the vehicle they want to purchase.
When it comes to what content they consume, video research is seen as the most popular and effective format for encouraging brand consideration. Views on YouTube of test drives, features, and options, and walk-throughs have doubled in the past year, with 70% of people who used YouTube as part of their car buying process were influenced by what they watched.
Takeaway: The most important thing to bear in mind for automotive dealers is to reach and target customers at this undecided stage before they’ve made their decision or been influenced by another competitor.
A workforce that understands how to use digital marketing channels like paid search (PPC, Google Ads) can help your dealership feature on social media platforms that are frequented by your target audience while concentrating on SEO will help improve search rankings – allowing customers to find you easily. What a concept to experience!
Make It A Champion Day!
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.
