With car-buyers spending an average of 14 hours researching vehicles online, having a strong website for your dealership is important. And, with digital retailing being the go-to way to shop these days, it’s even more important that your online presence stands out amongst the slew of dealerships car customers see throughout their search.
As pioneers of the digital merchandising industry, we’re here to help provide you with what customers want to see when they visit your site and how to implement those strategies.
Let’s get started, shall we?
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VIDEO
Among the types of visual content, video is the best way to keep customers on your website. Using video in your marketing keeps people engaged with your site, as viewers retain 95 percent of a message when watching a video, compared to a mere 10 percent when reading the same message in text.
When it comes to your VDPs, overall engagement increases an average of 600 percent with walkaround videos compared to the engagement on a typical, static page.
But, be particular about which videos you put on your website and the quality of them. Your website’s content should be on a different level than that of your social media platforms. Consider including a professionally-made video on your homepage – potentially a commercial – that introduces visitors to your dealership. For your VDPs, we recommend adding 360-spin to your listings to increase engagement and give a more transparent view of your inventory.
2. Easy navigation
Life is hard. Make searching your site easy. With user-friendly sites the norm these days, customers don’t want to have to go searching for information – they will just move on to another dealership’s website, and you’ll lose their business.
Start by making sure your website is responsive across mobile, tablet and desktop devices, something as easy as checking a box on the back end of some website providers. From there, put yourself in the shoes of the customer and go through the research/buyer journey. Were you able to find what you were looking for along the way? If not, pinpoint where the issues were and fix them.
3. Transparency
Whether it’s about price, damages, vehicle history or all of the above, customers seek transparency now more than ever. Using a consultative vs. consumer approach is one way to focus on the customer and their wants and needs, rather than you and the inventory you’re trying to sell. Many people make the difficult decision of buying new versus used Bankrate helps break down what goes on inside the consumers mind during this process.
Yes, selling cars is important and part of the business, but the benefits you will reap from generating those relationships and creating that understanding/transparency between customer and seller will be better in the long run.
Customers also want to know what other customers are saying about your dealership, which leads me to my last point.
4. Reviews
Call it nosiness or the fear of missing out, customers want to see what other customers are saying about you. Eighty-seven percent of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2020, up from 81 percent in 2019.
Whether it’s their experience with your welcoming squad, sales team or maintenance staff, people typically want to know how others feel about a place before experiencing it for themselves – especially if that experience was a negative one.
Obviously, your first guard against this is employing good people. But, in order to keep that good flowing and make it visible to potential customers, consider showcasing your dealership’s reviews on your website.
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As digital retailing becomes a more prominent way of selling in 2021 and beyond, the importance of having a strong online presence becomes increasingly necessary.
Shoppers enjoy the ease of browsing online before going to a store or dealership. Create the best online experience possible by making your site accessible, and therefore effective, in catering to your customers.
So go on – make sure your website is up-to-date with the times and consider implementing these strategies to maximize your reach and your dealership’s sales.