Old school advertising agencies made the case that automotive advertising was designed to drive traffic to the dealership.  Get the phone to ring and make an appointment for the customer to visit the dealership to get the information they needed to purchase a vehicle; that was job one! 

The Internet and digital marketing changed that objective slightly as automotive advertising agencies focused on increasing traffic to their auto dealer clients' website so they could convert visitors to make an appointment at the dealership - using the phone or via email - to get the information they needed to purchase a vehicle.   Not much of a change when you think about it; at least not yet!

Next generation websites have technology driven applications that virtually eliminate the need to visit the dealership by providing online shoppers all of the information they need to make a buying decision.  Once consumers overcome their few remaining fears about online transactions it follows that they will actually purchase their next vehicle online without ever visiting a dealership.  A few early adopters are already accommodating online transactions and it is just a matter of time before state and federal regulations accommodate consumer preferences and allow auto dealers to sell vehicles online without those pesky right of rescission laws.

The next logical step in this transition to online transactions is for auto dealers to recognize that their control of the information that in turn controlled online shoppers must be turned over to their customers.  They can accommodate online shoppers or third party providers like TRUECars offering superior transparency will do it for them and sell them back their own customers with a fraction of the profit margin and none of the customer loyalty and retention.

The solution, as is often the case, lies in technology driven applications that prioritize consumer needs while providing scalable efficient processes for auto dealers to minimize their cost of sales and preserve profit margins.  Specifically, next generation Vehicle Display Pages, (VDP's) can provide customers all of the information they need to select a vehicle.  iDrove.IT just released a comprehensive interactive VDP with Dynamic Market Pricing and Competitive Comparisons that includes integrated links to Edmunds, CarFax, Social Media, OEM Product Information and basically everything an online shopper needs to make a buying decision without ever leaving the VDP.  More uniquely, all of this information is controlled by buckets custom designed by the auto dealer in accordance to business rules that virtually guarantee that they will be competitive in their local market; can you say automated VAuto!

Combine the iDrove.IT VDP with new vehicle videos provided by vendors like SiSTeR Technologies that now offer instantly posted and updated 360 degree pan and zoom pictures of the vehicles interior, (V360), and their proven automated pic-to-vid interactive vehicle videos and there is little reason for a consumer to speak to a salesperson or visit the dealership to select a vehicle.  Similarly, Social Media platforms like HELIOS that power social marketing initiatives with Facebook friendly apps that reside entirely in the social network for consumers while communicating directly to the auto dealers' CRM and DMS to preserve their sales and service processes provide all of the confidence an online shopper needs to purchase a vehicle.

Less is more when it comes to delivering information to online shoppers who go online to find a vehicle - not an auto dealership.  Simply put, a comprehensive VDP with interactive videos and reassurances by online friends and family is all it takes for online shoppers to make a buying decision and all that a forward thinking auto dealer has to offer to earn their business.