In the mind of a consumer, there are very few situations in life that cause more stress, more headache and cost more time and money than the process of purchasing a new or used vehicle. To get an idea of just how frustrating it can be, take a quick scan of the customer reviews for any auto dealer in your area. 9 times out of 10 you’ll find a high quantity of negative reviews, even from people that actually purchased a vehicle and became a customer.
So what is it that causes customers to lose their sanity while going through the car buying process?
Is there anything that can be done to make the process more customer-friendly?
If you’re ready to improve the buying experience at your auto dealership, check out our list of the top 3 car buyer frustrations and the technology that solves them. Implementing these solutions will leave you with more happy customers and more revenue.
Frustration #1: Buying a car Takes FOREVER
My wife and I were at the dealership for 6 hours last time we purchased a vehicle. You might think that 6 hours is a little bit out of the ordinary, but the exact opposite is true. The crazy thing is we knew exactly which car we wanted to purchase before visiting the dealership, and it still took half of a day!
The 2014 HIS Automotive Buyer Influence Study reported that more than 55 percent of new car buyers and 57 percent of used car buyers express frustration with the amount of time it takes to complete a vehicle purchase. So just to reiterate: more than half of people that purchase a vehicle are upset about how long it takes to complete the purchase. That’s astounding.
Solution to the Time Problem
If you want to reduce the amount of time car buyers spend at the lot looking for a vehicle, you need to strongly consider adding some high level digital retailing tools to your website.
If a customer can easily browse your website and see each vehicle type, model, color, and also see complete mileage information, accident history and the retail price, customers will already have most of the information they need before visiting your dealership.
Adding all of these digital retailing tools to your website will save customers time and make them happier as a result.
Frustration #2: Price Negotiation Feels Like Pulling Teeth
Aside from the time it takes to purchase a vehicle, price negotiation may be the biggest frustration for car buyers.
When a customer finally decides to purchase a car, they usually have to meet with multiple people at the dealership, deal with miscommunications between employees, and find a way to purchase the vehicle for a price that suits them.
The negotiation itself can take hours, sometimes even days. Most customers don’t want to invest that kind of effort just to purchase a car. If they feel like they can’t get the vehicle they want at a decent price, they’ll walk across the street to your competitor.
Solution to the Price Negotiation Problem
If you want to avoid having customers make a trip to the dealership to test drive a vehicle and discuss price, only to determine they can’t afford to pay the listing price, then you need to think smarter about how you list vehicles on your website.
Price negotiation is a key component of selling a vehicle, but instead of requiring a customer to come into the dealership to talk price, why not use technology that will allow your customers to discuss price from the comfort of their own home?
One of the best ways to make price negotiation simpler for you and your customers is to add a chat and video feature to every vehicle listing on your website. Implementing this technology will allow customers to view videos of the vehicles they are interested in without test-driving each one. Adding the chat feature will allow a customer to chat directly with a sales rep from the page, making it more convenient and comfortable.
Frustration #3: Talking to a Salesperson is Uncomfortable
Without a doubt, speaking with a salesperson is one of the most common frustrations that car buyers deal with. While there are some people that actually enjoy making a purchase at an auto dealership, those individuals are definitely not a part of the majority.
The 2016 Beepi Consumer Automotive Index, based on an online Harris Poll survey, found that 61 percent of car buyers in America feel like sales reps try to take advantage of them when they are making a vehicle purchase. Another piece of that study showed that over 52 percent of car buyers feel very uncomfortable and anxious at auto dealerships. Most of the customers interviewed for the survey also said they’d rather purchase a vehicle from home if the option was available.
It’s bad enough that a customer has to spend most of their day looking at cars at a dealership, negotiating price and filling out paperwork, but best of all, they have to do it with one, two or even three strangers at their side every step of the way.
So what can be done to minimize the awkwardness and stress that comes with spending a day at the dealership with a few sales reps?
If only there was another way to build trust and credibility with your customer before they ever set foot at your dealership.
Spoiler alert: There is a way!
Solution to the Sales Rep Situation
Here’s how you can use Quickpage to eliminate a customer’s anxiety about visiting a dealership and meeting with multiple sales reps:
A potential car buyer lands on your website, browses a few vehicles, and then expresses interest in a particular vehicle by submitting his or her name and contact info through a standard contact form on the vehicle’s listing page.
A few minutes later that same customer receives a text message or email with a link to a customized Quickpage. Once on the page, the customer can interact with a sales rep through live chat, while also viewing images and videos of the vehicle he initially expressed interest in.
Instead of spending hours walking through endless rows of vehicles at the dealership and dealing with the constant awkwardness of meeting with multiple sales reps, Quickpage allows a sales rep to completely customize the car buying experience while the customer sits in the comfort of his or her own home.
If the customer wants more details about another make or model of vehicle, the rep can simply update the page in real time and show images, video and other information for similar vehicles. The customer can also call the sales rep directly from the page if they are viewing it on their mobile phone.
Once the customer settles on the vehicle of his or her choice, the sales rep can schedule an appointment for the customer to test drive the car and fill out the paperwork. The process is simplified, shortened, and leaves the customer in a good mood.
Try out Quickpage for Yourself!
Do you want to test out a customized demo of QuickPage? Click here to learn about the power of Quickpage and what it can do for your auto dealership!
