By | Taylor Haskings
In 2022, the automotive industry will be undergoing a lot of changes. With driverless cars on their way and millennials taking over as main drivers of car sales, it can feel like there are a million different things you need to do to keep up. But don’t worry. This blog post will explore five ways your auto dealership can thrive in 2022.
1. Improve Customer Experience
Customer experience is the sum of all interactions between your dealership and your customers. It includes everything from how you answer the phone to how you greet customers in your lobby to how long it takes them to get through the waiting room. If you’re looking for ways to improve the customer experience at your dealership right now, you can start by asking customers what they think of your dealership experience. Ask them to complete an online survey or set up a customer feedback forum on your website.
Superior customer service is also crucial for increasing your dealership’s customer experience. Remember that it is important to have happy employees passionate about helping people. If you can’t do that, it won’t be easy to engage customers or provide them good service.
2. Stay Up-to-Date with Technology
To keep up with the rapidly changing car industry, you need to keep up with fast-moving technology. Your dealership needs to have an online presence so customers can find you before they even visit your lot. You should also invest in new technologies like 3D printing or automation that will help you streamline processes within the service department.
Another way to use technology to revamp your dealership is by using tablets and interactive tools in the waiting room. This will make customers feel more involved and productive during their time at the dealership. They may walk away from experience with a better idea of maintaining and upgrading their car for maximum performance.
3. Provide Transportation
In 2022, it is projected that 42% of vehicle sales will be to people who don’t have a driver’s license or choose not to own a car. For your dealership to reach these customers, you need to provide transportation options. Having the ability to transport customers from the dealership to their homes or work addresses will make customers more likely to purchase a vehicle.
This will also make your dealership more green-friendly. One of the biggest concerns millennial buyers have is their environmental footprint. So, you want to show them that you support caring for the environment.
Another growing trend in today’s market is the online marketplace. Vehicles can be selected, verified, and purchased from the convenience of one’s own living room. In order to accomplish this, you as a dealership should provide video walkthroughs of the vehicles on your website so customers can inspect the vehicles virtually. It is then crucial to provide car shipping services to your customers. The ease of this process as well as the dependability of it will increase customer satisfaction and generate referrals and repeat business.
4. Offer Financing Options
As interest rates rise to combat inflation, it seems like loan terms are becoming shorter and shorter. This means that your dealership should find ways to help customers afford longer loans if they can’t afford the full price right away. Auto financing is one way to offer this option, but you must educate consumers about their options for financing.
If you’re struggling with rising interest rates or trying to give customers longer loan terms, you may also want to look into financing options other than traditional auto finance companies. Options like peer-to-peer lending are becoming more popular because they hold interest rates between 6%-15% lower than traditional car loans.
5. Offer More Upgrades
Just as customers in the tech industry are purchasing modern laptops, those in the auto industry are purchasing more vehicle options than ever before. This means that your dealership needs to keep up. You will want to add Android Auto and Apple CarPlay features into vehicles that already have these interfaces. This is also a great time to invest in more customizable upgrades like paint jobs or pinstriping on cars and trucks.
Unfortunately, these options can be expensive for customers, so you should incorporate financing options into the cost. Also, try to offer upgrade protection to help customers protect their investments if anything happens to their vehicles.
Although the car industry is rapidly changing, there are still some key strategies that you can use to keep your dealership competitive. Providing good service and upgrading with new technology are two of the most important things dealerships can do to stay relevant. And, of course, providing transportation options for customers is essential if they don’t have a driver’s license or own a car.
Using these tips to revamp your dealership may not be long before customers come flocking to you for their next vehicle purchase.
