Customer Satisfaction Is Still # 1

The modern car-shopper journey has changed.  It’s no longer about spending an entire day—or even multiple days—scouring a variety of dealerships for the right vehicle; instead, it’s about consumers doing smart research, knowing what they want, and determining who can best provide it for them. Once shoppers have done their online detective work, you can bet they won’t visit many dealerships before making their selections and driving off into the sunset with their purchases. In fact, today’s average shopper only visits two dealerships before purchasing a car.  So how do you compete? How can your dealership get in early on the modern car-shopper journey and make a meaningful impact?

Get Invited on the Trip

Shoppers begin their journeys far removed from the dealership setting, and in order to make an impact on them, you’ll need to go to them, rather than waiting for them to come to you. Because their shopper journeys have changed, your dealer journey must change as well in order to stand out as a business that’s ready to meet their needs. Essentially, they are online collecting insights and data about you, formulating opinions regarding whether or not you’re the dealership that can meet their needs. And you need to be doing the same thing. By collecting consumer data and finding out what shoppers are looking for, you’ll be able to pinpoint exactly what it is you can do to rank above your competitors.

Since shoppers no longer spend days scouring every dealership in town and doing in-person comparisons, it’s important you change your strategy to meet them exactly where they’re spending their time: online. By building relationships with consumers early in their shopping journeys, you’ll stand out as a dealership that’s invested in their needs and in improving the buying experience, and you’ll be in the right place at the right time to be able to offer interaction and insights that can tip the scales in your favor. You’ll have a much better chance of consumers inviting you along for the rest of their shopping journeys.

Consumers are in control of today’s shopping landscape—and they are fast-paced, know what they want, and with a marketplace full of stiff competition, they’re able to be very selective. The first step to winning in this environment is understanding shoppers and the important factors driving their decisions to research and shop the way they do. Throughout your earliest conversations with them, keep in mind they are very invested in:

 Convenience. Modern shoppers are on the move, and they are accustomed to near-instant gratification. In an economy where most goods and services are available for purchase online, car shoppers are becoming more interested in dealerships that can help them complete at least a portion of the purchasing process online. A recent CDK Global survey found 80% of shoppers would like the ability to configure payments online, while over half of those surveyed said they would configure payments and begin the credit application process online. When you think of ways to streamline your process for modern shoppers and share those early in your conversations, you’ll get more consumers on your side.

Time. That is why we at Jim Ellis Automotive Group have "EXPRESSWAY" on our jimellis.com website. Customers want to save time in order to get more done. All of our dealerships can streamline in-house processes and help shoppers move more quickly through their journeys and gain approval. Many of our guests are enjoying the increase in efficiency and customer satisfaction!