Will the Last Dealer Left in The Dark Ages Please Turn Off the Lights?

Whilst you’re assessing the highs and lows of 2017 and no doubt looking ahead to the opportunities that 2018 will bring, you’ll hear a lot of noise about selling vehicles online – The question is, do you believe the hype?

In 2018 buying and selling pretty much anything online is no great shakes to the consumer anymore, and that now includes new and used cars, with more and more dealers and manufacturers making the leap into the world of e-commerce.

Click Dealer – Digital Experts For Independent Dealers

Click Dealer is a profitability partner to over 1200 independent used vehicle dealers across the UK, using technology and data to increase profitability and drive efficiencies in the day to day running of a dealership. Our mission is to disrupt the UK automotive retail industry with tech innovation and a five-star customer reputation from deep in the heart of Stoke-on-Trent.

Selling Used Vehicles Online

With over 15 year’s industry experience as digital dealership experts, nobody at Click Dealer believes that selling online is as easy as sticking a ‘buy now’ button on a website. Let’s face it, selling vehicles is a complicated business. In fact, the team at Click have most likely been asking the same questions as you:

How can you handle a part-ex valuation?

Can you take deposits and reservation fees online?

What are the laws on distance selling and how do you stay compliant?

How do you engage with customers outside working hours?

How do you increase finance penetration and present add on products?

How do you see real commitment to buy without that all-important handshake?

Is transparency in business a good thing? 

Understanding The Purchasing Journey

It is these variations in the purchasing journey which make automotive e-commerce so very tricky – you see, some consumers are focused on budget, others just fall in love with the vehicle, then there’s the complexity of part-exchange and don’t forget, there’s still finance to consider!

Stock is also a huge challenge, if there’s a customer in your forecourt and one on your website, both looking at the same car, at the same time, you need to be able to either take the vehicle offline immediately or let the walk-in know it’s just been sold! But if your online retail platform isn’t integrated with your stock system, this could be incredibly problematic indeed!

For some customers, the finance deal is the most important part of the process, others will be more concerned with add-on products, estimated delivery or pick up times. Whereas more considered buyers are still interested in consuming inspirational content and research in various formats before making that final commitment. Inevitably, these varied personas dramatically impact what an independent used vehicle website and buying experience should feel like.

The Digital Consumer Journey

Understanding the various consumer journeys has also become vital for dealers to be able to influence buying behaviours at crucial decision-making times. The indisputable fact is that it’s the more digitally savvy dealers that will have the ability to engage with consumers 24/7, giving themselves a huge advantage over competitors by capturing leads in one fully integrated system.

Rest assured, wherever you are on the digital journey, Click Dealer has something to offer. With: industry leading websites; comprehensive dealer management systems; specialist automotive SEM services; reputation management software; and now with the world’s first integrated online retailing platform on the horizon, there’s never been a better time to join the ‘Clickers’ – our five-star customer rating from our award-winning dealers proves it!

“Since joining Click Dealer we’ve seen a huge increase in the volume of leads, conversion and in turn profitability. We’ve saved at least a day a week in admin time through using one end to end system! They’re extremely pro-active with a portfolio of leading tech, Click have helped to make my business a seamless operation so we can focus on high quality customer service. I’d highly recommend them to any forward-thinking dealership looking to progress to the next level.” – Scott Sibley, Redgate Lodge – Winner of The Car Dealer Magazine Dealers Dealer of the Year Award 2017

If you’re in the market for a new partnership to increase your dealership’s profitability, efficiency and web presence, give one of our friendly Clickers a call today on 01782 478 220 or contact us on marketing@clickdealer.co.uk!