Is there value in a mobile app for your dealership?  The true value lies in mobile engagement. Mobile engagement is the act of reaching a user through your app’s messaging capabilities.  This is known as Push Notifications, Location Based Messages, Targeted Messages and Direct Communication Messages.  Dealers can use mobile engagement to deliver positive brand experiences, keep users informed and build valuable, long-term relationships. Engagement typically starts the moment a user downloads your app.  Showing users your app’s value from the very beginning is essential to building a long-term relationship that keeps them coming back. But it can’t stop there. Ongoing engagement with your app users is the ticket to keeping them. Studies show that push notifications, just one capability of a mobile engagement solution, doubles user retention.

Why is mobile engagement such a big deal for dealers? Mobile is where your customers are spending most of their time.  Studies show that more than 80 percent of customers prefer mobile apps to traditional websites. According to Flurry Insights, mobile has officially surpassed the television as the favorite screen.  This means that your customers will download and use your app – so mobile engagement must be part of your mobile strategy.  Though it is important to market your app to increase downloads, your mobile strategy does not stop there.  Your app’s success is mostly based on the activity generated through mobile engagement.

Your first strategy should be – How do I get my customer base to download the app.  Then, right away develop and maintain a system that will allow you to grab the attention of your app audience through mobile engagement.  Send out a push notification as soon as a person downloads your app.  This will make your app standout and set the tone for the type of mobile relationship your app audience will come to appreciate and expect.  As an example, Delray Honda and Delray Toyota created specific location triggered messages as part of their mobile engagement strategy.  As a result, their mobile app activity continues to increase significantly.