As online car shopping becomes more popular, car dealers are finding that they need to change the way they do business. Online shoppers expect to be able to find information about cars and compare prices easily.
According to a recent survey, the number of people using the Internet to buy or research cars has increased by about 20% in the past year*.
Online Car Shopping. Consumers are more likely to want information about, negotiate the price of, and buy a car online. The reason is simple: buying a car is more convenient on the Web, considering the hours spent shopping on car lots can be avoided.
For people who do decide to go to a dealership, online tools such as CarsDirect and TrueCar are designed to make the process easier and more efficient. They gather information about prices and allow people to compare offers from multiple dealerships.
In order to stay competitive, dealerships need to make sure their websites are up-to-date, invest in e-commerce platforms, have a marketing strategy for social media, and ultimately keep up with the advancing technology. Dealers who embrace this new way of doing business are more likely to be successful in the future.
Have you experienced a change in your current sales? Let us know!
*Google/Kantar TNS, U.S., The Drive to Decide Survey, n=500 recent car buyers, 2018.