We're already part of the transition...

From the chaos of 2020 comes opportunity. For car brands and dealers, Covid-19 has highlighted how important it is to close the gap between physical and digital showrooms. In this new normal, more people are likely to be exposed to brands and cars online before they visit a showroom.

For me, the pandemic really highlighted that the physical and digital parts of the buying journey were not always very well linked in the automotive industry. There were limited offers tailored to online customers, and often no 'joined up thinking' to keep the customer engaged during and after the buying process!

We already know that customer journeys mostly start online. In fact 60% of people decide the brand, model, and price point of their car before visiting a dealership. And we also know that people have high expectations of digital, based on their experiences with big tech companies on a day-to-day basis. That is why it is so important for dealers to use digital media at every contact point with a customer.

But what we must remember is that an online experience will never replace a physical dealership – it has to complement it. Customers make an average 2.4 visits to dealers before making a final purchase. The key is to maintain the flow of information to create a natural link between online services and dealerships.

Every dealer should offer customers a 'virtual' showroom and live chat capability. Right from the early fact-finding stages, through virtual tours in dealerships, contactless test drives up to the face-to-face retail experience, we must give customers the chance to choose what is right for them - at every stage of the process.

In fact, last week I participated in a webinar organised by Automotive News Europe, 'The Future of Digital Retailing'. We discussed how dealers and brands can adopt omni-channel sales strategies, and I explained how at Kia Motors Europe we are fully focused on giving customers what they need and want from the sales process.

With customers able to choose to interact both online and offline, the key is to make the switch from online to offline as smooth and seamless as possible for buyers, with data available in the showroom that matches their online experience. This is particularly important as our data suggests that the average customer makes four switches between online and the physical dealership in an average buying journey.

This means that customers submitting information to an online platform must find that the same data is available to staff working in the dealership. The aim is to avoid a situation where a customer has to re-explain what they want to a salesman at the dealership.

At Kia, we are already part of the transition. Our dealers use a platform called ‘MyKia’ for online consultation and live chat. It acts as a relationship and ownership ecosystem between our customers and dealers, leading buyers through the process until they're ready to visit a showroom. The key for us is about creating a true brand experience that is so engaging for the customer, that they will become a Kia brand ambassador. There is still further to go, but we are already significantly adapting our traditional dealership model.

Our European dealer network is incredibly important to the success of the Kia brand across the continent, and they will continue to play a critical role in engaging our customers. And as our customers change the way they interact with our dealers, we are working with our dealers to help them adapt at the same time.

In the future the role of the dealer will continue to be very important, they will be the place where brand experiences are created, they will have to assure consumers, offer product expertise, and confirm to the customer that they have made a great decision. They are the true physical link with the customer’s ownership experience. Which remains a crucial part of our brand identity.

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