Jason Barrie, Vice President and General Manager of Dealertrack, joins CBT Automotive Network to talk to our audience on how dealerships can effectively connect their online-to-store processes with consumers using technology, transparency, and years of established trust.
According to a recent study, eighty-nine percent of consumers still want to finalize their buying process in a dealership’s showroom. This could be the result of the automotive industry, specifically dealers, building trust over decades with the general public. Or maybe most shoppers don’t feel comfortable leaving such a strong purchase up to a few mouse clicks. No matter the reason, in-store transactions are still alive and there are still ways your dealership can improve on its processes. 
Jason Barrie challenges the industry to find the opportunities available within the customer experience and improve upon it. Barrie explains how even though some may say we are in the digital age of retail, he believes we are in the age of the consumer. What this means is that at the end of the day, the consumer is going to set the tone of how they want to start, experience, and complete a transaction. Though their process might heavily involve online components, shoppers still want to feel, drive, and see the car, as well as complete the process with a dealership professional.
Knowing this, how does Barrie suggest we fill in the gaps to really enhance the overall car buying experience? You can start with transparency. Barrie explains, “Consumers are demanding better transparency, better insight into the F&I process earlier on during their car buying experience, and we saw a significantly higher rate of engagement by consumer online leveraging digital retailing tools.” Barrie continues to tell CBT’s Jim Fitzpatrick how dealerships can help streamline their F&I process. For more on this interview and how your dealership can make simple adjustments, watch the full interview above.
