MARKET INSIGHT
TECHNOLOGY COULD RESHAPE HOW AUTOMOTIVE BUSINESSES RECRUIT AND TRAIN POST COVID-19
By Jeremy Evans, Managing Director of Marketing Delivery
Jeremy Evans
I
n the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak the onus will be on dealers to offer customers new ways to experience a vehicle,
interact and transact. So, what will this ‘new normal’ mean for how dealers market themselves and their stock?
The sales journey goes digital for more buyers
Dealers have traditionally been chosen by potential car buyers because of their location, the specification and price of the car on offer, or because there is a positive relationship resulting from prior sales or aftersales contact. Those factors will remain very important, but many customers will also now gravitate towards those dealers able to offer a conspicuously sanitised physical showroom environment. Reassurance will be sought that it is safe to interact with the showroom space and with sales and aftersales staff, as well as with the vehicles on display. Of course, many consumers will be reluctant to visit showrooms altogether, favouring instead a fully digital sales ‘journey’ experienced from the comfort - and safety - of their own
home. Significantly, this end-to-end online process will more often encompass the late- stage discussion and completion of finance agreements, and will require dealers to deliver and collect.
‘By appointment only’ dealer - the demise of the walk-in enquiry?
It is to be hoped that many car retailers will soon be able to re-open their doors to customers - but at least in the short-term that is likely to be ‘by appointment only’ to make social distancing as easy as possible. An appointment minimises social interaction and will help customers feel more at ease when visiting.
Significantly, this ‘by appointment only’ model could become normalised, effectively spelling the demise of the walk-in enquiry at many outlets.
The increasing importance of digital communication
A majority of consumers are already comfortable with the idea of interacting with dealers online, and increasingly those previously reluctant to do so will see it as prudent from a health perspective.
Post-lockdown, it will therefore be even more necessary for sales teams to respond to significant volumes of online enquiries in a timely, personalised manner. And dealers must be ready to respond at the times and via the channels and platforms of the customer’s choosing. Sales teams and contact centres will need to be accessible and on-brand when communicating via a plethora of means - social media, email, over the phone, SMS and even WhatsApp. Automation of digital customer interaction will become essential so that dealers can maintain - at scale - the kind of personalised and immediate digital interaction that customers will expect. We are already seeing aspects of the above come into play for those dealers that have maintained active online customer interaction through the lockdown. It is evident that being digitally adept will help pave the way for recovery, post-lockdown. It is set to become the standard that all dealers must meet if they are to flourish in the inevitably challenging trading conditions that will bedevil the sector for months to come.
For more information:
www.marketingdelivery.co.uk
30
WWW.SMTA.CO.UK
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