Building trust with online car shoppers through transparency

For most car dealerships, building trust with car shoppers has proven to be a major obstacle to overcome. According to the December 2020 Honesty and Ethics in Professions Gallup Poll, only 7% of consumers trust car salespeople. The lack of transparency is at the helm of the distrust that car shoppers feel when they begin the complicated journey of purchasing a vehicle.

Transparency and a frictionless customer experience foster trust between car shoppers and dealerships. Today, when car shoppers ask for information such as detailed pricing, they expect to get it without having to jump through hoops for hours at the dealership. When the purchase process is transparent and uncomplicated, shoppers express that they are much more satisfied with their overall experience.

Providing facts and information upfront is only the start of building relationships with online shoppers. Successful salespeople not only provide valuable, relevant information but they bring “revelation” to this information by expanding the customer’s understanding of items such as reconditioning repairs, inspection reports, window stickers, and vehicle history reports. Car shoppers expect to work with not just salespeople who are transparent and forthright, but those that are knowledgeable and product experts.

Dealers should strive to engage in meaningful conversations with online shoppers – and to turn those conversations into presentations. By openly displaying reconditioning records and receipts, reviewing the vehicle history report while discussing vehicle quality and safety, and outlining the importance of inspections performed by factory-certified technicians – salespeople begin building a relationship with shoppers while feeling confident about being able to fully disclose the facts. This type of sales presentation demonstrates the dealer’s integrity and helps create an atmosphere of trust. The result is that car shoppers feel valued and respected, ultimately bridging the trust gap which makes it much easier for a transition from online browsing to in-store purchasing. 

VelocityEngage Digital Portfolios Promote Trust & Meaningful Interactions Between Car Shoppers & Salespeople

Digital portfolios that contain all the information shoppers want in one place about the dealership and the vehicle bolster trust-building interactions between online car shoppers and salespeople. Relevant and valuable information provided in an interactive format offers huge benefits for shoppers, including:

• Saves them time researching online
• Reduces back-and-forth negotiations in the dealership
• Eliminates frustration, waiting for relevant facts to be organized
• Builds value in the vehicle, thereby justifying price
• Presents the dealership’s reputation upfront
• Automated price drop alerts keep them engaged and informed
• Bulk information is easily shared with others for feedback
• Much of the transaction can be completed online with little time spent in the dealership
• They can make faster buying decisions with all the facts in hand, upfront

This transparent, hassle-free car buying experience is often referred to as “digital retailing” – but it’s better described as straightforwardly “modern automotive retailing”. The “digital” aspect of the buzz phrase is simply the technology that facilitates the mutual involvement of both the salesperson and the shopper in the details of the transaction. Also, the “digital” can accommodate a rich, engaging sales presentation with the shopper in one location and the salesperson in another – or sometimes with both in the dealership. Regardless, it is not the “digital” that has the greatest impact on the shopper experience – but the people and processes surrounding the “digital”.

Today, online car shoppers are not settling for anything less than an uncomplicated, streamlined car buying experience that saves them time, makes them feel valued and respected, and helps them to make a good car purchase decision. They are not focused on the “digital” per se – they are more concerned about the facts being hidden or being treated as though their time is not important.

VelocityEngage is a digital sales solution that enables dealerships to deliver hassle-free, consultative presentations to online or in-store car shoppers – that are rich with information and interactivity. It is designed for modern automotive retailing – delivering an exceptional customer experience while selling vehicles and related services to consumers.

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