New and used car dealers have a better chance of building customer loyalty if they take the time to give web shoppers more personalized site features and functions, says Jupiter Research.
"71% of consumers leave the online research process without having a selected a dealer," says Belis Aksoy, an automotive analyst with Jupiter.
Today, new and repeat customer loyalty is generated by automotive manufacturer and dealer web sites that make the shopping and selection process easier for consumers. For instance many dealer sites let shoppers look for vehicle inventory and compare manufacturers’ suggested retail prices. But the sites most likely to generate longer-term customer loyalty are ones that personalize the shopping experience with features such as a vehicle configuration or service appointment tool.
Top automotive retailers can truly enhance customer loyalty if they offer additional financing and insurance tools that help shoppers value trade-ins, figure an affordable monthly car payment or help arrange financing.
Auto retailers can also build better loyalty if they personalize their e-mail newsletters and make e-mail recipients aware of current and forthcoming Internet sales.
"Automotive web sites can draw more consumers into the online sales process by providing easier access to the most frequently sought information and by communicating the value of their offering," says Aksoy.
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