Whitepapers

3 Digital Retail Tips: Lessons Learned During COVID-19 Disruptions 1. Communicate More Effectively Fewer in-person "ups" means your customer communication and marketing need to work even harder for each sale. Dealers are doing a great job showing how they're keeping customers safe, but they need to take their communication and marketing further. Start by auditing your dealership's external messaging, especially in your virtual dealership environment. Make sure everything – from your website to your on-hold recording to your social media platforms – is updated with your new hours, details about digital retailing options, safety precautions put in place and more. Ensure your team is promptly following up on digital leads and is mentioning remote and virtual sales options. Remember: People buy cars from people they like and trust. Utilize video messaging technology to substitute "face-to-face" interactions and lean on your dealership marketing tools to create transparent and personalized offers with no gimmicks. 2. Fully Commit to Virtual Selling With in-person sales largely halted in the early days of the crisis, many dealers started to embrace new sales tactics and processes to serve their market. However, many see these measures as temporary or don't go as far as they could to deliver a great customer experience (CX) for today's buyers. Like the rest of the world, auto dealers across the country were caught off-guard by the unprecedented disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Dealers needed to react quickly to protect their employees and customers, with many proactive dealerships pivoting from in-person to virtual car sales. However, not every dealer managed to make a seamless transition to operating a primarily digital dealership – and the grace period to get this right has mostly run out. The challenges faced by dealers and the expectations of their customers are no longer unprecedented. While what the future will hold for the automotive retail industry is still to be determined, dealers are presented with the opportunity to take control of their future now by learning from the past. These three tips below will ensure your dealership is nimble and ready to offer customers an excellent virtual sales experience in the "new normal." ARE GOING BEYOND JUST CONDUCTING BUSINESS IN THEIR PHYSICAL LOCATION AS A RESULT OF COVID-19 COX AUTOMOTIVE: 2020 COVID-19 CONSUMER IMPACT STUDY 88% OF DEALERS

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