The new age of online automotive sales has arrived. And as you work to bring your dealership up to speed with the digital shopping preferences of today’s customers, it’s important to consider your technology. Specifically, whether your technology facilitates the kind of connected online shopping experience your customers expect. Because, for all your hard work and effort to implement the right processes and drive better innovation, if your technology can’t connect the dots, you’ll come up short.
The Customer is Always Right
Consumer interest in finalizing a deal online has risen 73% in the past year alone, according to a Cox Automotive Report. In addition, 56% of customers want to start negotiating on their terms, preferably online, and 75% want to complete credit and financing paperwork online, according to an Autotrader study. Does your dealership’s DMS technology enable you to cater to these customer preferences and move at least part of the car buying experience online?
“The ability to deliver a superior, personalized experience is now
within reach.” – Lori Whitman, Senior Vice President of Dealer Software, Cox Automotive, The Dealer’s Guide for Maximizing Profitability
The Next Gen Benefits of Connected Technology
As your dealership transitions to incorporate more elements of an online sales experience, put your technology in the proper perspective. Instead of thinking of your DMS as just another expense, think of it as an invaluable asset, enabling you to sell more cars, drive profits, and facilitate the kind of buying experience your customers expect.
Your online customers don’t want to put up with a clunky, disconnected shopping experience. From start to finish, they want a buying experience that weaves every step of the process into one connected whole. The good news is, with integrated technology, it’s entirely possible to optimize efficiency. As Lori Whitman, SVP of Dealer Software at Cox Automotive explains, “The ability to deliver a superior, personalized experience is now within reach.” Technology designed to bypass workarounds and intuitively share information across platforms, from interest to point-of-sale, is changing the way dealership operations function. And your Dealer Management System—the source of truth for data continuity at your dealership—is making it happen by integrating with your other technologies and facilitating an intuitive, customer-focused car selling experience.
Your DMS technology, working together with your other systems, should support an omnichannel sales experience that keeps track of customer information over time and between systems. The best part: this connected technology not only benefits the customer, but it also improves your dealership’s efficiency and profitability.
Move on From Disconnected Tech
If your DMS doesn’t integrate with your other technologies, or requires expensive workarounds that ultimately feel mismatched, out of place, and even conflicting, your technology probably isn’t the right fit for the next generation of digital customers and online sales.
As your dealership moves into the new age of automotive retail, continue to evaluate how your technology can either help or hinder your customers’ specific shopping experiences and your dealership in general.
To learn more about how the right DMS technology and partner can help your dealership evolve to meet the digital demands of today’s customers, get your copy of The Dealer’s Guide for Maximizing Profitability.
