In the age of the Internet a new order of digital shoppers has emerged, and in the automotive arena, I have fondly named the experienced customers. The reason stems from the enormous amount of vehicle data that customers have access to online. As dealers, what should you do about it and how should you handle it so that your profits don't evaporate? Your goal should be to help the customer have an easier, faster and simpler vehicle shopping and purchasing experience. This statement should ring through the minds and actions of every employee in your dealership as to how they deal with the cyber shopper.
I have developed four rules that you need to use as a benchmark to test your own dealership Web site against. If you fail to pass every one, you need to make the changes now; your customers expect it!
The first rule is: you are not the customer. Remember that people who shop the Web are different from those who build Web sites. Developers know about all the fancy tools while customers want to know one thing-"Where am I going to buy my car at the fairest price in the fastest amount of time?" Is your Web site that easy from which to buy?
Rule number two: organize with the customer in mind. When you design your web site, do it with the customer in mind. When a customer comes into the showroom to buy a vehicle, it starts a series of sales steps. Does your web site do the same thing for your e-dealership? Dividing your web site up in different categories of your dealership sales, service, parts etc. may not be the best answer for your e-dealership. It might be better to create part of your Web site that walks your potential customers through all the necessary steps to buying their next vehicle in a simple, yet informative way. It is important to build your Web site based on the way your customers will buy. What are they looking for and how do they want it presented to them?
Rule number three: think small and simple when you develop your Web site to cater to your customer's potentially computer limitations. By placing Flash or Shockwave on your Web site you will definitely eliminate some of your potential customers being able to effective view your Web site. To me it would be like locking your showroom door in the middle of the day and turning people away. It is much easier to just create an online experience based on the most essential visual and textual elements that you need to effectively and efficiently communicate your message.
One other thing that I find prevalent on dealership Web sites is what I call the "Seek and ye shall rarely find" syndrome, which happens to be my fourth rule. Is all information at your Web site easy to find and readily available to your shoppers with a click? If not, here are a few things to do to cure the problem. First, make your inventory searchable from your front page. All the online services have this feature and so should you. Second, make all product information one click away from any point on your Web site. If you can't do that then at least make sure it is no more than three.
Important Rule
More than 70% of web sites surfers will leave your e-dealership if it takes more than three clicks to get the information that they want.
Make sure you bring all the conveniences necessary to buying a vehicle right to your Web site, so you can control the customer experience. These are just some of the things you need to get a handle on to really succeed in this world of e-commerce. But the real question remains. How do you really win at this new type of business?
The main thing is you must own the customer experience from start to finish through the personalization of your customer's experience, while engaging the customer through a rapport building process. Be sure to make the experience easy, accessible and intuitive for the shoppers. That includes invoice pricing and trade-in values without letting your customer leave your Web site for the information. Another key component to online success is building customer confidence by providing clear paths to all parts of your Web site. Having a Web site alone is not enough to compete anymore, so try to stay current on the latest trends affecting online shopping. You must build a knowledge and resource center to handle your customer's questions, complaints and concerns. This one feature will have customers frequenting your Web site.
Remember, don't let your online and offline experience differ. Make sure to create a consistent message whether you are conducting a transaction over the Internet or face to face. Include all the same features you have at your store online to build better relationships and more symmetry in your marketing. Don't ever commit to something online and fail to deliver it offline.