The Future of Car Buying is Mobile

The statistics are there: car buyers spend 59 percent of their time online before they purchase car, according to a 2016 study from Cox Automotive. This same study cited 88 percent of customers used the internet to purchase their vehicle and 46 percent use multiple devices to get to a dealer’s website, with 14 percent using only a mobile statistic.

Why are these statistics important? The future of car buying is mobile, and your dealership needs to be ready for it. So what should you do in order to attract the mobile customer?

Here are a few suggestions:

1) Don’t Have A “Click or Call For Price” Button on Your Website- Everyone who shops online and on their mobile phone is used to having all the information available to them at once. Your dealership should abide by these same principles. Eliminate a button that requires a customer to call for the price, Make sure the customer can see that information on your website.

2) Develop Widgets That Provide Further Information To Your Customers- Applications like QR codes that take customers to a more detailed vehicle page help to simplify the shopping process for consumers and could help develop more leads if used effectively.

You may also want to consider dealer-specific apps to make it easier for employees to input data. Many third-party sites have apps that enable your employees to input vehicle data and capture photos. They include step-by-step instructions that make it a very simple process. These apps can also help you compare other cars on the market and price them accordingly in order to remain competitive with other dealerships.

3) Try In-App Advertising to Target Different Consumers- Consumers use mobile apps every day. From Instagram, to Snapchat, to Twitter to Facebook, your dealership has an opportunity to geo-locate customers who are in the market to purchase a vehicle by putting ads in these everyday applications. If you develop specific phone or text numbers, you can accurately track the response and return on investment of customers that actually end up purchasing a car from these social media ads.

4) Focus on Real-Time Locations- It’s important to get your customers when they’re in your dealership’s vicinity. Using geo-location technology your dealership can track mobile phones in the area and send them coupons, discounts, or different vehicle specials that could help quicken a customer’s buying process. Even if all a customer does is purchase some new window blades due to a push notification they received, that’s revenue you would not have garnered otherwise.

5) Watch How You Create Your Ads- Bigger does not mean better when it comes to mobile advertising at your dealership. Size your ads in a way that they do not take up a customer’s entire viewing screen- that’s the quickest way to scare someone off. Not only that, but test the speed of the ad before you put it on your mobile site. No one has time to wait for an ad that takes fifteen minutes to load…. They’ll just go to the next dealership that has a more responsive mobile page.

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Comment by steven chessin on February 11, 2017 at 3:35pm: As I shop for a car I am tempted to do what customers do just to see if dealers react effectively --- so far ---- not even one has followed-up with me. So much for their "sales training". But I am sure NONE of the dealers here that read this are guilty --- just the others.

Comment by Devin Koskan on February 7, 2017 at 7:43am: Steven, Thank you and good luck with your car buying journey. I hope you enjoy your experience on our site and please let me know if I can do anything to help.

Comment by Thomas F. Jung on February 7, 2017 at 5:18am: Could not agree more! Mobile technologies have only brought us the ability to communicate faster, in real time, and get the message through - or job well done! In fact, my friend wrote an article with a similar message - you can read it on my blog here: https://www.advantagetec.com/2016/06/mobile-is-the-future-of-car-sh...

Comment by steven chessin on February 6, 2017 at 3:35pm: Devin - I am shopping for a car so I will try your website and give it a real challenge. I have already stopped at several dealers and have found the bar to be far lower than I expected ! Here at DE we discuss the finer points of advanced click and brick sales --- but the salesmanship in the stores today is frightening.

I stopped at a KIA dealer. The first question was "Am I here to buy a car?" I told them, "No, I came for the free coffee, where is it ?" I mentioned that he did not even he know my name and had not earned the right to ask me for a sale so I earned the right to ask for a replacement salesman to start-over with. My apology for beings so rude but having spent so many years on the selling side and forced to remain overly polite at all times I won't tolerate what I could never do. I mention this because most buyers fear dealers or tolerate them like the dentist. I neither fear nor tolerate and would shop-and-buy online if I could but can't so your site that filters the brick visits to a few choices is welcome relief.

Dealers think customers shop other stores for a better price --- but I won't stay long enough to get a price if they keep asking me all the wrong questions and giving all the wrong answers.

A Nissan salesman started by handing me a credit application ! I told him I was paying cash. He asked if I had a trade-in and I told him just an insurance company check for it. He ran back to his manager for help !

Salesmen wanted 'NO EXPERIENCE PREFERRED" !

How's that working-out ?

Another KIA salesman told me with a straight face that "Kia does not make a Soul Turbo." I asked him if he was lying or ignorant ? He said "What ?!" I showed him their centerfold in their brochure. More "No experience necessary, we will train you our way".