The emotional rollercoaster of buying a car can be viewed as a wave with a series of highs and lows. There’s the excitement of being ready to buy, the tedious online research process, the thrilling moment when the model is chosen, more research checking rates, prices and picking a dealer, then nervousness on the drive to the dealership.
That wave hits its absolute peak when the buyer sees “their” car at the dealership, gets the qualified walkaround from a salesperson, then takes that baby on a test drive. The steering wheel feels perfect in their hands, the engine sounds just right, the tech features are amazing. They are in love. Their research has been paid off and they made the perfect decision. If you could hand them the paperwork right then and there, the deal would be done.
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. There is a definite decline in excitement when they sit down at the deal desk and the details are being worked out. And what about all that downtime while the trade is being evaluated and your salesperson goes to work on the price with their manager?
Now the uncertainty is creeping in. Did I make the right decision? Can I really afford this? Am I getting the best deal? Now your customer is filling that downtime on their mobile device checking prices, double-checking their research. Re-thinking everything.
Just like the online consumer experience you created matters, the environment you create to provide an exceptional in-dealership consumer experience matters. Digital signage fills that gap.
Imagine being able to distract from that worry, keep your customer engaged, and immerse them in your brand promise while reducing their perceived wait times and keeping their phones in their pockets so they’re not “showrooming” or shopping your deal. The in-dealership consumer experience, leveraging digital signage, does all those things. It keeps your buyer focused on the reason they came to your dealership and makes the inevitable drop from the peak of their excitement more gradual.
However, if your buyer sees that car they are in love with showcased on a larger-than-life video wall with glamorous footage in a beautiful location, do you think that will hold your customer’s interest? Of course it will, just like it did when they were utilizing your online tools. They will put themselves behind the wheel on that winding road.
If your buyer sees information about the benefits of buying from your dealership, your brand promise to each consumer, your charitable involvement and features about your team and amenities, do you think that will reinforce their decision to buy from you? Of course it will.
You’ve maintained engagement at the salesperson’s desk and reached a new peak in the wave. The deal is done! On to F&I.
Now there’s more waiting, more time for uncertainty to creep in. Now they even have a price and a negotiated payment to worry about. And there’s the dreaded sales pitch for add-ons that they know is coming. The wave is distinctly descending. Digital signage turns this perceived negative into a positive experience and drives sales for the F&I office.
This is the time for engagement and education. Most people say no to F&I products because they do not understand the important benefits of them. If you can show your customer what GAP insurance is or the value of an extended warranty, you are setting the table for your finance specialists to sell these products. Brochures do not accomplish this. Digital signage does.
This is also the perfect time to show a customer how they can accessorize their new vehicle to make it even more uniquely theirs. Show them the wheels, lighting and tech options they can add, if they are visualizing and considering these things, they are not thinking about how long their wait is, or about the payment they are getting ready to take on.
According to a recent Autotrader study, 54% of all car buyers said they would choose a great experience over a great price. Your people and processes can contribute to that experience, but if there is a disconnect between your online presence – the reason the customer chose you – and the in-person interactions in your dealership, you have lost the experience battle almost before it even got started.
What is the experience like in your dealership? Do you keep your customers emotionally engaged throughout their buying journey? Do you confuse them with inconsistency as they transition from an online car researcher to an in-store car buyer? Are you keeping them from hitting the lowest points on the wave where the uncertainty becomes so intense that they finally walk out?
You know the answer to those questions. Digital signage is the solution. Perfect your customer experience so they can hit the ultimate high in the wave: getting their keys and driving their new car home.
If you would like to learn more about keeping your customers riding high throughout their in-dealership experience with you and your team, click here to schedule a complimentary consultation.
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