Even though it’s obvious that I’m a huge advocate for interactive experiences, I can attest that it really is all the rage. Dealerships are lapping up interactive experiences like crazy because it allows consumers to easily interact with your dealership on a personal level. Everyday, consumers visit different dealership websites looking for all sorts of information: inventory, special offers, pricing, etc. That said, there’s a tremendous amount of opportunity for dealerships to leverage interactive content (or interactive experiences) to communicate with their consumers. And, yes -- I know what you’re probably thinking: “Customers won’t take the time to go all the way through that! I need a quick, static form!”

No. You do NOT jut need a static form. If you implement multi-stage conversion (meaning you collect information in different parts of the interactive experience), you won’t miss a single lead from a customer dropping off mid experience.

Whether you choose to go with a provider or develop your own tools, you can provide consumers with experiences that make it a treat to visit your dealership’s website – and maybe even improve your auto dealer digital marketing along the way. Here are some of the most common tools and services that you can turn into interactive experiences:

Trade Appraisals

One of the most popular dealership website tools is the “Trade Appraisal” tool. Most folks looking to purchase a vehicle want to give up what they already have, so finding a dealership that’ll provide the best price is ideal. Instead of having consumers fill out a static form, and providing consumers with a trade appraisal later on (via phone or e-mail), consumers would have the opportunity to get an immediate quote for their vehicle.

Along with their contact information, consumers would answer questions about their vehicle, and the tool would calculate the price based on weighted attributes (quality, brand, etc.). In addition to answering questions about your vehicle, your dealership can heighten the experience even further by asking questions about purchasing habits and intentions. Our own tool, Trade Appraisal Plus, offers dealers the opportunity to ask whatever questions they want, and it gives the consumer the impression that they’re “filling out a buyer profile” — which they actually are!

Instead of having a 3rd party branded tool, consumers want to know what your dealership is going to do about their trade. Providing a quote instead of a “instant cash offer” is more realistic to clients, and you can still capture that lead without having to make a low ball offer. Offer a quote online, and then build value into your process, brand and ‘why buy’ statement when they’re getting a quote from YOUR DEALERSHIP (dealer branded tool), and not a 3rd party tool like KBB.

E-Price

As you’re aware, E-Price offers upfront, the lowest possible vehicle price to consumers online for vehicles they’re researching. Because it saves an immediate trip to the dealership, it’s often the most ideal pricing option for consumers. E-Price has existed for quite some time now, but typically in a static form. Because so many consumers look for e-prices, it would practically be a crime to miss out on turning this tool into an interactive experience.

E-Price has long received the best click-through rate. You could always change it to "ABC Motors Pricing" and insert something more unique as well. Remember, with an interactive experience everything is customizable to your dealership. Unfortunately, there’s room for customers to interpret this CTA as “I can get a better price online”. With an interactive experience, however, you can clearly define exactly what “E-Price” is at your dealership. You can inform customers that the price already listed online is the BEST price, and the market based pricing strategy that was used behind it. Their interaction of interest around a specific vehicle and its price is the perfect time to take a website visitor through an interactive experience. It’s the best of both worlds, the best click-through rate without sacrificing lead quality or consumer experience.

Here’s an example of a plausible experience: Along with collecting contact information (in exchange for the e-price), consumers could answer other questions about their purchasing intentions and then learn about other vehicles in their inventory that match their buyer profile. 

Test Drive Scheduling

Another thing consumers often do on dealership websites is schedule test drives. This is, yet again, another wonderful opportunity to turn this simple static form into a full-on experience — for more reasons than one. Even more than the trade appraisal experience, your test drive scheduling experience should collect as much information from the consumer as humanly possible. Why? Well, when a consumer requests to schedule a test drive, they plan on coming to see you face-to-face. That said, customizing the questions you want to ask (in the experience) is crucial. That way, when you (the dealer), receive that information, you’re able to help the consumer in the dealership. You’ll be able to answer questions before they’re even asked… or before the consumer even thinks to ask them. And again, because you’re asking questions that make sense to your dealership, the consumer will feel more inclined to answer them because they feel more engaged.

Now, did you know how many customers click “Test Drive” but never actually schedule one? You may be surprised just how many opportunities you’re missing because customers are unsure of the process and whether its right for them. You can use interactive lead capture, put consumers in control and let them learn and select the test drive experience they want. You may be surprised just how much more often a customer will actually submit a test drive appointment, if they felt confident about what kind of a test drive experience they would have.

There are lots of ways to turn boring, everyday tools and static forms into interactive experiences. You just need to think about the type interaction you want to see between your dealership and the consumer. The three experiences mentioned before only just scratch the surface of what can be done with your dealership’s website. 

If you have any ideas for an interactive lead capture experience or question about your website, please share in the comments section below.