New-Vehicle Dealership Web Sites Add Interactive Features; Enhanced Sites Reflect Increasing Customer Expectations
14 September 2000
New-Vehicle Dealership Web Sites Add Interactive Features; Enhanced Sites Reflect Increasing Customer Expectations
WASHINGTON, Sept. 14 Franchised new-car dealers are
responding to customer demands by offering a wide array of functional and
interactive features on dealership Web sites, according to a survey by the
National Automobile Dealers Association.
The study by NADA Industry Analysis found that 98 percent of dealership
Web sites now offer interactive features. The most prevalent interactive
feature -- the ability to e-mail the dealership -- is available on 95 percent
of dealership sites. Eighty-three percent of dealer Web sites allow consumers
to browse vehicle inventory, and 70 percent provide links to manufacturer Web
sites. Additionally, over half of dealer Web sites allow consumers to view the
manufacturer's suggested retail price or MSRP.
Other features found on many dealer Web sites include the ability to order
a vehicle online, fill out financing forms, submit payments and schedule sales
and service appointments.
"Whether conducting research or negotiating a final transaction, dealers
recognize that a growing number of consumers want to use the Internet when
shopping for a new vehicle," said NADA chairman Harold Wells, a new-vehicle
dealer in Whiteville, N.C. "Dealers have responded by creating state-of-the-
art Web sites that cater to today's high-tech consumer."
To help car shoppers easily use the Internet, NADA operates
http://www.DriversSeat.com, an Internet portal providing direct links to thousand of
dealer Web sites. The site also lets consumers quickly search through more
than 500,000 new cars and trucks -- the largest inventory of new vehicles
anywhere on the Internet.
The National Automobile Dealers Association represents more than 19,400
franchised new-car and -truck dealers holding nearly 40,000 separate
franchises, domestic and import.