Automotive dealerships are changing the searching and purchasing process. These dealerships are taking steps to implement a new omnichannel experience.
Think back to the last time you bought a car. About your experience as a customer; thinking about vehicle details you are looking for, visiting dealerships, haggling with price or financing. Keep in mind, everybody experiences different situations when purchasing a vehicle, but typically the experience is a long process with a few typical bumps in the road.
You begin your search possibly at a dealership, on a website, or maybe even through a referral. After a few visits to the lot, or comparing prices on a website; the message or offer got jumbled or maybe even changed during the process. Now, today, when shopping for a new vehicle, wouldn’t it be great to have one clear message that is the same throughout the process?
Transmitting a single, and consistent message across multiple platforms and dealerships is a great way to build a loyal target audience. This process is the omnichannel experience.
An omnichannel experience is a multichannel approach providing customers with a seamless shopping experience, whether they’re shopping online, or in a brick-and-mortar automotive location. This experience encourages customer retention by facilitating a single conversation.
Did you know that companies with the strongest omnichannel customer engagement strategies retain an average of 89% of their customers?
Today, with the assistance of omnichannel experiences, car buying is streamlined for the customer, and way more pleasant during the process. But who’s doing it right?
Who’s doing it right, right now!
New omnichannel capabilities at CarMax allow customers to buy a car completely from home.
After browsing available vehicles online via multiple sources (website and social platforms), shoppers can hold a car based on the qualifications they are looking for or request a transfer to a more convenient location to conduct a test drive. Customers who purchase online even have the option to get the vehicle delivered directly to their homes or workplaces.
Through the new-age omnichannel experience, customers can eliminate a visit to the dealership entirely. This experience is changing the buying experience to fit within the customer’s hectic schedule. These new buying processes will hopefully streamline the procedure and make the buying routine more efficient.
CarMax is optimizing the customer experience by engaging the customer on multiple channels, repeatedly. Thus, remaining top of mind with the customers during the buying process.
But, why does the omnichannel experience really work?
Here are a few advantages to implementing an omnichannel strategy:
- Holistic view of your customers and where they are in the buying process, thus closing deals more effectively
- Providing a personalized experience at every touchpoint
- Tailoring to the customers’ requirements
- Selling cars more efficiently
This tactic takes the customers’ perspectives and interests into consideration, to maximize the consistency of the company’s marketing messages. By connecting the strengths of each communication platform, automotive companies can use omnichannel strategies to supply a more consistent and effective brand message. Thus, continuing to be top of mind with the target audience, or customers in the buying funnel.
Remember, the omnichannel strategy focuses on meeting customers’ needs where they are today and where they’re going, in the most efficient and effective way possible.
