The challenge for dealers in 2023 will be to give customers the means to make choices with which they’re comfortable, iVendi’s CEO has explained in a recent Motor Trader article.
James Tew went on to explain that the buying journey will become more complex in 2023, with customers likely to take more time making decisions and adding more layers to the process that will require a steady blend of both face-to-face showroom time and virtual.
Indeed, research from Deloitte has revealed that just 5% of car buyers currently undertake a genuine end-to-end online purchase. The rest enjoy the mixed approach.
As we discussed in a recent article on our own website the economic environment is sure to shift habits and behaviours, it’s a natural progression.
It will, of course, be those businesses that pre-empt these changes and ensure they are in a position to unearth the opportunities, however scarce.
Those opportunities could well sit in spaces that have not been accessed in the past. Take Waylands, for instance, where the business has decided it wants a fuller understanding of the customer journey, not just from lead, enquiry, order and then from handover onwards, but also from point of order or commitment to handover.
This is a crucially overlooked space in the buying journey that forward-thinking groups are targeting from an additional value perspective and also from a customer experience angle. If the waiting time is longer, let’s try to maximise the opportunity rather than just label it as a problem
John O’Hanlon, CEO at Waylands, explains:
“Our customers are at the heart of everything we do. Clear communication between order and handover enables us to share key information which helps both us, and the customer, in preparation for handover day.
“With some of the extended lead times we are seeing, this has been a great tool to keep in touch with our customers and ensure they feel communicated to not just when they order the car, but throughout their entire journey.”
And, leading on from Tew’s point about the blended approach, O’Hanlon is keen to point out that this is not a set and forget solution. It’s simply about amplifying the digital experience and learning from the data it unveils.
“While Waylands’ customers get regular updates on their order, the leadership team within the group also get a view on how customers are engaging with content throughout this stage of the buying journey, enabling the sales team to be far more responsive and effective with any additional contact,” he adds.
The additional complexity in the buying journey could be signalling to some businesses that more information, engagement and, perhaps, personalisation, will be needed this year to generate results.
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