Tag: Digital Marketing

We don’t have an 8-ball, a pair of lucky dice, or even sport cars-themed tarot cards. But if there’s one thing we can say about 2017 with utmost certainty, it’s that it’s going to be an unpredictable year in automotive retail.

A changing marketplace, longer vehicle road life, possible gas price variations, and a new political landscape are all factors with which the auto industry must reconcile this year.

But we can predict some things. For instance, dealers will focus on where they can make profits, as they should always do. What dealers won’t make on volume or new car margin could be made with faster turn rate, more efficient operations, and greater emphasis on customer satisfaction, F&I, and service.

With that in mind, here are three more specific prognostications to help you, the dealer, fortify your bottom line no matter what 2017 brings your way:

1. Flexible Payment and Financing Options

Affordability is going to be a huge factor for shoppers this year. Many shoppers’ purchase decisions are driven largely by their monthly payment budget and/or access to financing. Building confidence and transparency into the shopping and deal-making portions of the process are easier if you embrace a digital retailing strategy to generate automobile leads.

This year, the industry really figures out how to sell a new vehicle online while preserving the customer-dealership relationship.

2. Multi-Channel Advertising

Shoppers are not limiting themselves to one device or one source of information. Being able to track those patterns, learn preferences, and target shoppers who’ve demonstrated a readiness or likeliness to purchase across multiple devices and sites will allow you to aim advertising and offers where they will count most.

This year, digital marketing settles on how to personalize what shoppers are looking for and deliver content that is neither irrelevant nor intrusive.

3. Attribution

You need to know what marketing investments work. Vendors and publishers will need to emphasize quality and value, and cannot simply post quantitative numbers. In terms of performance, transparency and actual ROI will stop being the exception, and start being the standard.

This year, the industry can confidently and intelligently use existing audiences to drive more relevant traffic and capitalize on specific shopper intent.

It’s still early in the year, but if what we saw and felt at NADA, and have been hearing from dealers around the country for months, is any indication of the accuracy of these three predictions, then we probably didn’t need to bring out the Ouija Board after all.

What are your auto industry predictions for 2017? We’d love to know what you think. Connect with us by commenting below.

Andy MacLeay is the director of digital marketing at Dealer.com

Some luxury dealers probably wonder what happened to the segment they used to know.

As the lines between automotive mainstream and premium blur, the mix of consumers shopping for luxury has changed – and so have the types of vehicles they want to buy. Consumers are purchasing midsize luxury SUVs faster than dealers can stock them, while sedans linger on the lot for weeks or months. It’s a simple supply-and-demand issue that doesn’t seem to have a simple solution. How can you stay profitable if you’re stuck with inventory your market won’t buy?

Automakers are working to solve the imbalance by adjusting production mix. That takes time, though, so some luxury dealers are relying on OEM incentives and rebates on slow-moving inventory as a short-term fix. But a dealer can’t profitably discount much more than an OEM is willing to incentivize. Simply put, solving this complex problem is going to take more than discounts.

These three tips will help dealers protect profits and keep inventory moving while awaiting OEM production mixes to rebalance:

1. Find and fix issues in new- and used-vehicle listings.

Optimizing listings is always a good idea, but it’s even more important when supply outweighs demand. While selling luxury sedans against the tide, listings have to be even more compelling to catch consumers’ attention. Unfortunately, many listings are incomplete. In a recent review of more than 10,000 dealerships with listings on Autotrader.com, 27 percent of listings had no photos, 29 percent were missing vehicle descriptions, and 16 percent were missing a price. Of listings that included prices, 86 percent only listed MSRP and 52 percent didn’t include relevant live specials or incentives, making those vehicles look less competitive than they actually were.

As dealers know with used vehicles, complete and compelling listings drive interest in inventory traffic to showrooms. But the same rules apply to new cars, too. A new car listing that’s missing key information will get overlooked. It won’t even show up in most online searches. This doesn’t have to be a complicated project. Just focus on the basics: photos, descriptions, retail prices, and relevant incentives for every sedan listed, every time. The more compelling, the faster it will sell.

2. Move more new sedans by leasing.

More attractive online listings will help consumers find luxury sedans, but not necessarily help them pull the trigger. Plenty of consumers won’t choose to buy a luxury sedan for various reasons. But they might feel great about leasing one. Leasing has always been a powerful force in the luxury market. It lets consumers get the new luxury vehicle they want for a lower monthly payment, and it makes it easy to upgrade to a new model every few years. As sales volumes slow down a bit in 2017, dealers can lease new luxury vehicles to bring in a continuous stream of revenue.

And what kind of vehicles do luxury consumers want to lease? Sedans. The ones dealers are having a hard time selling. Luxury sedans make up 56 percent of the lease share of new-vehicle volume, while luxury SUVs total only 33 percent. By targeting potential lessees and promoting sedan inventory, dealers can start those slow-moving cars rolling off the lot.

Comb through the customer-relationship-management system for consumers who could be interested in a new lease. Consumers near the end of current lease terms are an especially good fit, because dealers know exactly when they’ll need their next vehicle. And because returning lessees are more likely to upgrade than new buyers are, coordinate upgrade-focused offers with lease renewal dates. Educating consumers about the benefits of leasing can convince even more shoppers to give it a try. If customers have never leased before, make sure they know it’s an option that can get them into a higher-end vehicle faster and at reasonable monthly payments.

3. Upgrade used sedans to Certified Pre-Owned.

Leasing is all well and good for new vehicles. But what about used ones on the lot. Used luxury sedans can be a major opportunity for dealerships that take full advantage of certified pre-owned options.

Driving a luxury vehicle is a goal for countless consumers, but the cost of buying or even leasing a new one can shut many people out. Certified Pre-Owned creates a best-of-both-worlds solution for these consumers. They can get their dream car for a lower price, while the vehicle’s certification removes potential quality and safety concerns sometimes associated with buying used. That peace of mind is a major CPO selling point: 64 percent of consumers who purchased CPO said certification played a major role in their decision.

Certifying used luxury sedans does come with an upfront cost. But this small investment can result in a major payoff. It’s a simple way to make used vehicles feel like new. That’s an upgrade consumers will pay more for. Used-vehicle shoppers are willing to pay more for a CPO vehicle than for the same vehicle without certification. Even better, 74 percent of CPO buyers will purchase their next vehicle from the same brand. CPO does more than move sedans off lots. It can win customers for life.

Yes, shifting consumer preferences can leave dealers with misaligned inventory. But that doesn’t have to be a disaster. The right moves can keep dealership inventory moving. All of it.

Brian Geitner is president of Cox Automotive Media Solutions which includes Autotrader, Kelley Blue Book, and Dealer.com