„You can innovate your brains out and get a great product. But it is hard to sell cars. It is a hard business.“ – Mark Reuss, Executive Vice President, General Motors.
Automotive dealers thriving in the technology driven world are often overwhelmed with technology. Especially, the old school ones. The ones that are reluctant to change. On the other hand, car freaks are already fantasizing about the digital versions of their choice, make, and model. Also, they do not want to rent or lease cars by visiting the automotive dealers. They want the car to be delivered at their doorstep. In a scenario like this one, there arises a dire need to invest in a technologically advanced dealer management system.
But the question is, what should a modern dealer management solution entail? And how is it likely to change the customer experiences? Let’s take a drive down the trail of future of automotive dealerships:
VR Test Drives & Remote Purchasing
A survey conducted by Auto Trader in the year 2017 proved that nearly 42% car buyers make use of multiple devices to search for a new vehicle. And 68% of auto dealers customers hold a negative impression of the brand when the websites of automotive dealers are not responsive. Last year, 60% of the people chose to buy car online as compared to the 20% who visited dealerships.
Although there are individuals who prefer an on hand car driving experience, there are several inclined towards taking a virtual test drive of the car of their choice before they visit the showroom. Or, they might not.
As an Automotive dealer, you must think about the ways in which you can deliver value to your customers. It is also possible to acquaint your customers with the look and feel of car interiors by offering a 360-degree experience, by leveraging the potential of virtual reality. The next thing you know; your customer places an order remotely! Auto dealers can also lease and rent vehicles on the website after making financial approvals online. Now, although every automotive dealer doesn’t offer this kind of service, it is certainly possible to do that through a streamlined and user-friendly system.
Digital Disruption in the Automotive Industry
Most of the customers today ask for personalized treatment from automotive dealers and expect to get value out of car buying experience. Also, for customers, OEMs and dealers are no different. Their expectations are built based on the experiences built by their interaction with disrupted industries. Most of the Netherland car dealers understand the importance of ever-increasing customer expectations and have installed a dealer management system that enables smooth transactions with their clients.
However, it is important to change the perception of going digital and think of it as a means to render a personalized, engaging, and seamless experience rather than thinking of it as being an end.
Driving the Future…
Whether it is a retail industry or an automotive one, customer interactions are of paramount importance. Also, these interactions have to be driven by continuous engagement with customers and providing them with technologies that save time, offer convenience, and above all, luxury.
As autonomous driving and connected cars are becoming common, one must think about embracing voice enabled services, 3rd generation kiosks, virtual showrooms and providing 360-degree customer experience. This holistic and collaborative approach between OEM, auto dealers and customers is sure to bring about a paradigm shift in the way that the automotive industry works.
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