Dealers should be investing in better technology to help them improve customer engagement in 2020, according to iVendi.
James Tew, chief executive at iVendi, said that whether customers ultimately opted to choose, finance and buy a car in the showroom or online, their initial interest will almost certainly have been digital – and that dealers needed to differentiate themselves right at the outset with more usable and more productive technology.
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“Almost all initial dealer interest today is driven online, so that first period of digital engagement with the customer is crucial. It is important to make the process of first interest and first contact as efficient and effective as possible.
“In a lot of ways, this is the most dated area of online motor retail, with many dealers relying on traditional search and some form of e-mail to drive communication but investing in newer and better technology can produce much better results.
“The fact is that, heading into 2020, there is technology available that helps customers identify the right vehicle faster and dealers to create a much greater level of engagement earlier on.”
Tew added that differences like this will be meaningful for consumers as we move into 2020 – when new car sales will be tough and used sales competitive.
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By GlobalData“Better engagement will mark out the dealers who are working hardest to make their impact in the market by meeting the growing digital expectations of customers through introducing more advanced technology.”
More effective technology did not necessarily have to be expensive and complex, he added. In some cases, it was just a question of rethinking the way dealers engaged with potential car buyers.
In the first quarter of 2020, iVendi plans to unveil a completely revised product range to meet the changing online needs of car, van and motorbike buyers, retailers and finance providers.
New and existing products will be organised into three packages – engage, convert and transact – providing everything from a complete online motor retail solution for major international organisations to relatively simple tools for single site retailers.
