Recent research commissioned by Autotrader Group, titled Engage Report, says Australian car buyers view visiting a dealership as the most important contact method when buying a vehicle.
The Engage Report says the top three preferred contact methods for new car buyers are visiting a dealership in person (73%), contacting a dealer via phone (38%), or emailing for further information (20%).
The question is how can dealerships leverage this touch-point?
To understand, it’s paramount to be aware of the activity buyers engage in before deciding to step into a dealership.
This knowledge could be a key contributor to driving foot traffic, and ultimately lead to a successful sale.
CONTACT DETAILS MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Consumers have access to a wealth of buying information at the click of a button.
Whether it’s car specifications, model comparisons, or pricing calculators, car buyers are typically well informed.
Autotrader Group’s Engage Report found that people who intend to buy within the next 12 months are doing more research online ahead of contacting a dealership.
It’s in this stage that dealers can stand out.
The Engage Report found that 78% of buyers and 87% of intenders check car listing and review sites before visiting a dealership.
That demonstrates that a crucial first step for dealers is making themselves visible and easy-to-find by listing their contact details on the platforms where buyers are already doing online research.
The report also revealed that most consumers (65%) want dealerships to have more publicly available contact information, which gives them more control to contact a dealer or visit it in-person.
On the contrary, hiding dealer contact information behind a form limits the possibility of walk-ins.
CAPITALISE ON ‘WALK-INS’
The unannounced visitor is a potential gold mine for car dealers. According to the Engage Report, walk-ins have almost double the conversion rate (30%) when compared to a prearranged dealership visit (17%).
A dealer usually knows when receiving a pre-arranged visit how customers found the dealership, whether that’s from a third-party website, online research or direct advertising. But when it comes to walk-ins, what is it that encourages people to visit a forecourt unannounced? Or more importantly, what stops people?
One element that deters potential walk-ins is when contact details for a dealership are hidden behind data capture forms.
Our report shows that seven out of 10 respondents (70%) prefer to drop in unannounced rather than give their contact information before visiting the dealership.
Consumers prefer to remain anonymous and enjoy the freedom to arrive at a dealership in their own time.
On the other hand, an open platform that allows dealers to advertise on
a site and promote the location and contact details of their business increases the likelihood of walk-ins.
It’s because of this that the Autotrader platform doesn’t hide dealer contact information behind online data forms. Instead, it makes this information available to consumers.
Interestingly, 59% of consumers surveyed said their first contact
with the dealership they eventually bought their car from resulted from an unannounced in-person visit.
In addition to a preference for making unannounced contact, almost two-thirds (65%) of car buying intenders prefer to see the actual dealer location and contact information so that they could be in control of making contact.
By contrast only 16% of respondents prefer to leave details for the dealership to make initial contact.
It’s hard to ignore the high conversion rate for walk-ins, and by providing contact information, which is easily accessible and up to date, you have an opportunity to expose your dealership to the invaluable pool of potential consumers ready to enter the forecourt and buy.
Commissioned by Autotrader Group, the Engage Report contacted 1000 Australians between September and October 2021 via an online quantitative survey.
