Being online is not enough anymore

Five years ago, the focal point of our conversations with dealers was about having an online presence as the way to get a competitive edge. What was then a mere nice-to-have element has now become mission critical. And yet, today this is not enough anymore; dealers must be committed to building an online identity, starting with a digital showroom which shouldn’t simply be the online counterpart of their physical store, but rather a strategic asset satisfying the needs to inform, attract traffic and create engagement, generate leads and drive conversion.?

According to the Google Gearshift research, in 2022 over 85% of new car buyers have counted on online sources along their buying journey, particularly in the discovery and research phases (and the percentage even goes up for used vehicles). That being said, the dealership’s website is considered as the main source of such information only for less than 30% of customers across Europe. Why is it so? Because having a website for the dealership is a given by now and if the perceived value is not higher than other “less biased” sources, a consumer would rather rely on reviews, peer recommendations or comparative sites to research their next vehicle. It means, once again, that the key to success is value creation for the customers. Easier said than done, but this is where a tech partner like MotorK can help.

The first step is to shift perspective: what we are building is not a simple website but a platform seamlessly integrating complex elements of technology which allow for a smooth and enriched user experience and the maximum level of personalisation and engagement.

In 2013 MotorK launched WebSparK, our first B2B SaaS solution. Back then, it was our answer to the need of providing online visibility as a complementary channel to the physical dealership within an industry in which the distribution standard was a brick-and-mortar model. Ten years later, it’s become the core of a dealer’s omnichannel strategy and an archetype of what a digital showroom should look like. It’s no surprise that WebSparK is one of the MotorK solutions that has evolved the most in the course of this revolutionary decade for automotive retail; it now offers a wide range of features as well as third-party integrations. Our research shows that 58% of dealers using WebSparK are performing above the industry average; in 2022, almost one million leads were generated thanks to WebSparK.?

I stated that being online is not enough anymore. You cannot NOT be, but in a crowded playing field you also need a ‘wow’ element, your X factor, to stand out. Therefore, usability and user experience in general become prime aspects for your dealership’s website, as does the quality of content, both textual and visual. We know for a fact that almost 1 in 2 users consider good web design as the expression of the credibility of a brand; similarly, poor UX and blunt content are reasons enough to abandon a website in 38% of cases.

As customer needs and expectations are evolving, so should WebSparK – and any other solutions that are meant to support them along their purchase journey. One of the most impactful upgrades we’ve developed for it is a content bundle that we called Dealer Cr'AI'tive Studio and that we have presented in exclusive preview to our clients through a series of local webinars. We kicked it off in Italy mid-June, where we disclosed what I believe to be the killer features of our solution for the near future to an audience of over 250 participants. I don’t want to give too much away, but basically we are are combining our own internal expertise and a partnership with OpenAI to leverage generative artificial intelligence capabilities to enhance our digital showroom with state-of-art features for content creation (including, of course, SEO optimisation), image editing and stock syncing and promotion.

Let me add that webinars have always been a favourite instrument for MotorK to offer ongoing training and support to our clients and, most importantly, to get immediate feedback from them. You’ve certainly heard me speaking about customer centricity as a key element for any business to progress. When you put yourself in a listening mode with your main stakeholders, you are better positioned to ensure that the technology you develop is not just a beautiful exercise, but serves value creation.

This is particularly important when, as a company, you are committed to facilitating the digitalisation journey of automotive retailers. In the next two years, dealers will be required to adopt at least 20 digital solutions to remain competitive along an increasingly more complex customer journey. Consolidating such technology into a natively integrated platform is the only way to ensure long-term success – in regard to customer satisfaction as well as investment and revenues sustainability at every pre-, during and after-sale touchpoint.

The way WebSparK does it is by acting as the beating heart of a dealer’s online presence; as a matter of fact, it works with LeadSparK for lead acquisition and StockSparK for stock management, it combines the conversational marketing tools of LiveSparK for customer engagement, it provides a landing point for AdSparK and PredictSparK campaigns.

I’ve been saying it for years and it proves to be particularly true in a time when e-commerce numbers are slowing down: consolidation along an omnichannel customer experience is the way to go for automotive retail. We deal with more and more sophisticated needs which require an equally sophisticated approach. To find the right answers, we must be ready to unlearn the old way, ask ourselves the right questions and embrace innovation as a mindset, with customers at the centre.