Thursday, July 7, 2011
Internet Changes Buyer and Car Dealership Behavior
Not too long ago, anyone shopping for a new or used car or truck will spend hours scouring the newspapers or waste precious time and money driving from dealership to dealership to compare models, equipment levels and prices. Today is a smart, Internet savvy customers all with just a few clicks on his computer keyboard and from the comfort of your own home or ureda.Internet is, in fact, now become a source of information and shopping choice for today's busy and time crunched car and truck buyers.
Much of yesterday's traditional showroom traffic has moved into cyberspace. Over 80% of all U.S. households now have Internet access. Nearly 85% of all new and used car buyers shop online first, before you even visit the store. They spend an average of four hours, research and compare cars and prices on a wide variety of manufacturers, distributors and third-party sites such as Kelly Blue Book, Edmunds and Yahoo. Over 10 million used car searches conducted on Yahoo every month.
According to research conducted by online Car, 44% of respondents said they were likely or very likely to buy a car or truck in full over the Internet, if this capability were available. Last year, a major car manufacturer pilot program in California to sell their cars, trucks and crossovers on e-Bay.
To better meet the growing number of customers who shop online, dealerships are making a dedicated Internet sales departments to manage customer e-mail inquiries. "It has grown so fast," says Donna Lawlis, Internet Sales Manager at Classic Chevrolet vine, Texas. "We started with just one person. Now there are ten full-time sales consultants in a separate building just to answer all our customer leads ."
To better meet the growing number of customers who shop online, dealerships are making a dedicated Internet sales departments to manage customer e-mail inquiries. "It has grown so fast," says Donna Lawlis, Internet Sales Manager at Classic Chevrolet vine, Texas. "We started with just one person. Now there are ten full-time sales consultants in a separate building just to answer all our customer leads ."
NADA reports that 96% of franchised dealerships have websites. Almost 90% of all GM dealerships have enrolled in a factory sponsored Certified Internet Dealer (CID) program that provides dealership websites, search marketing tools, and links to the GM brand site and the automatic updating of national sales and service promotions.
"Our agent web gives us the opportunity to work that would not otherwise get," says Rick Smallman, Internet Sales Manager at Lupient Chevrolet in Bloomington, Minnesota. "It is so important to our dealership as an exhibition space, or as parts and service departments ."
Over 80% of all activities on the dealer's website refers to stocks. Most sites have photos of new and used vehicles, including the "Internet Special", with a detailed description of the vehicle features, specifications and prices are available at the click of a button.
"Having our stock fresh, or finding that one special car, truck or SUV for the customer is always a challenge," says Nate Cottrill, inventory manager at Al Serra Motor Plaza in Grand Blanc, Michigan. "About 70% of our used inventory comes from auto auctions. To find quality, late-model cars and trucks we need, we are now buying auctions as far away as Texas and Florida ."
As indicated above, consumers are not only shopping online. Many traders now buy and sell a significant volume of its vehicle wholesale market through online auctions. Dealers in the Midwest to buy a used rental car over the internet from as far away as Hawaii, California, Nevada and Arizona.
In the same way, online auto haulers help used car dealers to maintain their profitability, when loading vehicles from auto auctions outside of their usual trading area. With a few clicks of your mouse, marketers can find online car haulers that offer both truck and rail service options.
Online car haulers auto transport are easy, safe and effective for dealers who use the Internet to find the best inventory. Merchants online shopping does not want to be limited to the vehicle location. After buying a car online with wholesale auction, traders simply go to the car hauler's website that the price and estimated transit time for door to door pickup and delivery. Dealers then you can put orders, track shipments and manage all your transportation needs in one place on the internet.
Technology and the Internet have changed how consumers compare and shop for cars and dealers are responding. Merchants are finding new ways to use the Internet to manage business and stay competitive in selling cars to consumers and a source of stock for a lot.
Labels:
auto transport,
autotransport,
autotransporter,
car hauler,
dealerships,
internet
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