The most important thing car dealers should do in today’s marketplace – Kevin LeSage | Autotrader

What are you doing to drive success in today’s marketplace? Today on Inside Automotive, we’re pleased to welcome back Kevin LeSage, Director of Digital Marketing for Autotrader US, to give his recommendations for dealers and he’ll also give us a look at new products providing solutions for 2022.  

One of the biggest investments Autotrader and Kelley Blook Book have made for 2022 is in their marketing channels. More is being invested into marketing than ever before in an effort to get record-level traffic to Autotrader and Kelley Blue Book, says LeSage. The other big focus for the companies is eCommerce. Historically, Autotrader has been looked at as a listings marketplace. However, over the past few years, Autotrader and KBB have expanded their at-home service with My Wallet and Accelerate My Deal. 2022 is all about doubling down on these areas. 

Car dealers are facing many challenges today like inventory shortages, the pressure to go electric, and managing their data. In order for them to be successful in 2022, LeSage recommends that car dealers try to enable their data. Normalize your data into actionable insights by building audiences and customer experience strategies. The country’s top dealer groups are investing in these strategies to better understand consumer behavior.

These strategies should be applied to the fixed operations department as well. The fixed ops department makes up roughly half of the dealer’s profits but is only allocated 10% of the marketing budget. Autotrader and KBB see an opportunity to close this gap and drive a more efficient, frictionless car buying experience.

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