Why Many Dealers Are Now Offering the Option to Reserve Vehicles Via Their Websites

Before the advent of the internet, the way that customers bought their vehicles had remained relatively unchanged for decades. Nowadays things are a bit different.

With 81% of consumers conducting research prior to making a purchase, and 57% preferring to shop online, the landscape of buying and selling automobiles is changing every day. By the time a customer arrives at your website, there’s a high chance that they already know what they are looking for and are ready to reserve the vehicle that most closely matches their needs.

Data analysed across ClickEngage users in 2019 showed that 63.7% of vehicles reserved online went on to convert into sales. This suggests that by the time a customer has chosen to reserve a vehicle they are already committed to their decision, with the quality and lifestyle fit of the vehicle itself being the deciding factor thereafter.

While vehicle dealerships still have a firm place in the retail landscape, the way in which consumers engage with dealerships is changing; customers expect 24/7 availability, and the option to reserve a vehicle at the time of their choosing is now part of that expectation.

Dealers must meet consumer needs

Allowing dealerships to be more contactable than ever is a key feature of our ClickEngage service, allowing dealerships to offer 24/7 vehicle reservation and enquiry options to their customers. In turn, this allows dealerships to generate quality engaged leads. When looking at conversion data from dealers who used ClickEngage in 2019 we found that online enquiries to dealers with ClickEngage converted 3x as often as those who did not use the platform at all.

 Having the ability to reserve their vehicle of choice outside of a dealership’s traditional opening hours benefits both the dealership and the customer, as this allows customers to meaningfully interact with the dealership whenever suits them best and in a positive manner.

With used vehicles especially, giving customers the ability to reserve a vehicle outside of opening hours also removes the worry of losing out on their chosen vehicle, simply because they struggle to make contact during the working day.

To find out how Click Dealer can help you to offer in-demand services to your customers, then please get in touch with us on 01782 478 220 or by email using marketing@clickdealer.co.uk