No business owner wants the customer journey to stall out before a purchase. And for businesses in the automotive industry, there’s no bigger purchase than a car. Helping a customer towards a big financial investment like this isn’t without its challenges, but luckily we’ve got a few ideas on how you can avoid these road bumps.
In this blog, we’ll take a look at tactics your automotive business can use to help your customers with their car purchases.
Make the Most of Digital Engagement
In response to COVID, many customers on the hunt for vehicles took a streamlined, digital approach to their car search. While this includes what we think of as traditional digital engagement–browsing cars online before entering the store, researching car safety ratings, online purchasing, and financing options–that isn’t a complete picture of customer behavior.
Popular–and effective!–digital engagement methods include:
- Providing customers with coupons, deals, and discounts both on-premise and online.
- Enhancing your online shopping experience with configurable payment plans and financing options.
- Leverage on-premise digital signage to inform customers about seasonal sales and car availability.
- Use menu boards to show carefully calculated pricing for specific sets of customers as they browse.
Incorporating a mix of these tactics can help make the start of your customer’s car-buying journey an easy ride.
Put Customers in the Driver’s Seat
A hands-on experience is a quick way to get your customer’s attention and to make them feel like a more active participant in their customer journey.
One of the most successful techniques that dealerships use to their benefit is a test drive home delivery. This allows customers to test drive cars from the comfort of their own homes. A contract is provided and agreed upon once the car has been tested and inspected by the potential buyer. It really works–81% of drivers who reported taking this at-home test drive described it as satisfactory and enjoyable.
For those potential buyers who do journey to your on-premise location, however, there are more ways than an actual test drive to give them that sense of engagement. Let them take the lead role for a spin with:
- Interactive kiosks that they can input decisive factors like their credit score, local taxes, and related fees to show the most accurate price possible.
- Show possible vehicle customizations on either stationary kiosks or through customers’ wireless devices, allowing them to “build” the car they’re looking for.
Allowing customers to be more immersed in their purchasing experience increases the chance that they’ll walk out of your business as the owners of a new car.
Digitize the Payment Process
Forms are often the bane of a successful automotive customer experience. They’re bulky, long, and often confusing. Worst of all, they’re time-consuming, and research has shown the average CSI score drops after a customer has been in a dealership for 90 minutes.
Make sure the transaction process isn’t what trips up your customers on their journey by:
- Offering electronic signature tools and laser forms that allow for electronic signing, storing, and delivery.
- Providing a digital deal jacket containing all of the important documents that can be easily emailed to the customer.
- Having contact-free payment options on hand, either via kiosks, tablets, or even a WiFi-enabled online portal.
Making sure customers know you value their most important resource–time–helps to propel them along to complete their purchase.
Success!
Congratulations! Your blend of digital engagement, immersive experiences, and easy payment process worked. The customer journey has arrived at purchase. Your customers have the keys in hand and are ready to drive off the lot with their brand-new car.
If this isn’t the scenario that’s playing out at your business, Spectrio can help. Schedule a demo today to see how our comprehensive suite of customer engagement tools can make your automotive business a dream destination for customers.