SAN FRANCISCO—Eighty-four percent of all consumers begin their car shopping through online research, but the vast majority want to negotiate in person at the dealership, a new report reveals.
The dealership experience is more important than ever, according to Jumpstart Automotive Media, which studied the latest consumer car shopping trends in conjunction with Ipsos for the report, “Today’s Auto Buyer and the Digital Retailing Experience."
The study, available here, addressed the overall dealership experience and what consumers expect in order to transact on a sale and reach even higher satisfaction marks.
“Email is an effective way for dealers and consumers to communicate once the buying process commences. Consumers like to ask buying questions in a way that feels less vulnerable, and it’s a good way to inquire about inventory,” Jumpstart stated. “However, the deeper into the sales process, the more important face-to-face communication becomes. In fact, 76% of consumers believe they get better pricing by negotiating in person as opposed to online. What’s more, the report found that consumers want more in-person communication than dealers might think.”
The Disconnect
This is one example of the disconnect that remains between dealers and consumers, Jumpstart added.
“It’s important to provide the right experience during research to get the customer interested in walking through the door, but it all comes down to the dealership experience and there are several ways sales staff can increase their chances of a successful transaction,” said Libby Murad-Patel, vice president marketing and strategic insights for Jumpstart. “Understanding how to effectively communicate with the customer, recognizing how to see common ground on what is a ‘fair price’ and treating each customer with respect will always be a winning combination to build more sales potential.”
Overall, the report found that 61% of consumers were satisfied with their dealership experience. Those that were dissatisfied were least happy with the finance department.
“However, their dissatisfaction may have been more a result of not qualifying for advertised terms than how they were treated by staff. In general, a simple, fast experience (37%) and transparent pricing (33%) are what consumers want most in their experience,” Jumpstart said.