I can’t help but sense that most of the retail automotive world feels threatened by the push toward an online sales experience. It’s been coming for well over a decade in a mainstream fashion, not just as a flash-in-the-pan trend. It’s not a Tickle Me Elmo or a Slap Chop. Buying online is going to stay, and it’s going to become the crux of the retail automotive business. It didn’t come up out of thin air, so it shouldn’t be taking any manufacturers or dealers by surprise.

What it should have done by now is triggered opportunities in your head. There should be a list on your desk of ways your dealership or department can capitalize on the online automotive marketplace. It should be an ever-present thought in mind because it’s not ten years or even five years away. It could very well be the biggest news story of 2018.

If you’re stuck in the mindset that online sales and out-of-dealership sales experiences are doom and gloom, it will be. But for dealers who welcome a better customer experience, it offers ample opportunities to thrive and grow.

It Expands Your Sales Radius

It makes sense with a brick-and-mortar sales process to target the prospects closest to your home base. With online sales, you can advertise and extend your range effectively, so long as your inventory and staffing are sufficient.

Three-quarters of online car shoppers still want to drive before they buy. Extending your store’s sales range requires putting cars near them. It can be as easy as renting a secure compound or storefront as a satellite location, stocking it with common vehicles, then sending a product advisor to meet interested clients off-site.

It Minimizes Tire-Kickers

Every online lead is a serious sales opportunity that is only a click away. What previously needed to be filtered for quality leads is chock full of prospects who want you to help them finish their car buying experience on the spot (their spot, not yours).

It Provides More Opportunity for Your Service Department

Selling cars online is a starting point – soon, all your products will need to be offered remotely. The service department can begin offering at-home basic services to secure customer loyalty, and pick-up and delivery valet services obviously keep your customers’ attention and all but eliminate a wandering eye for service providers.

It sounds like more of an annoyance, more trouble than it’s worth, but it’s what the coming trend demands. It’s this or a steep drop-off in service traffic.

Prepare for It!

If you have a traditional store currently, it doesn’t take much at the store level to develop an online car buying experience. Only a few items need to be done to get your building and staffing in place:

• You’ll need more staff. Valets, product advisors, and service staff, specifically. Because you need to be increasingly mobile, you need to add personnel that can handle the influx of outbound traffic.
• Mobile service units. It’s quite basic, really, requiring a mobile lift, a set of mechanic’s tools, a mobile air compressor, and a parts department that can quickly equip the service unit with the right parts they need for the job they are going to.

The harder part isn’t at your store level. You need to implement changes that go beyond your four walls.

• Make online sales part of your brand image. You’ll want to consult an advertising expert for the best way to do so.
• Develop your online content. Your website must offer a seamless experience for the sale or the frustrated customer will simply click over to another dealer. Create valuable content, evergreen blogs, new model descriptions, and in-dealership product videos. Make it so the shopper doesn’t need to go elsewhere for information.
• Get your F&I department ready for the road. Armed with videos showing the benefits of the products they offer, a connected tablet or computer to serve the customer remotely, and a customer-centric focus, the F&I staff will need to become mobile to round out the complete out-of-dealership selling experience.