Consumers aren’t okay with being complacent and accepting things as they are. And by “things” I mean specific features on your website.

If consumers can’t find the information that they’re looking for and get the details that they need right from your site, chances are good that they will not continue their relationship with your brand.

In this day and age, hiding information from consumers -- without the promise of any benefits to them -- is going to quickly turn them away from your dealership. As I mentioned in a DrivingSales post a few months ago, it’s important for your dealership to possess resources that can educate prospective buyers. Consumers prefer to self-educate, and with all the information in the world at their fingertips, they will take their business to where they are getting the best customer experience.
 

Before the internet, it might have made sense to keep some information close to the chest in order to better negotiate with the consumer. Nowadays, transparency is key, and it is essential that your dealership provides resources that empower the buyer to come into the dealership armed with knowledge.
 

When consumers are armed with knowledge, they will be less likely to ask numerous questions and try to negotiate a new price. If they’re coming into your showroom, that means they are far enough down the sales funnel that they will probably want to test drive and buy.

Technology has made it easy for customers to have a more independent research experience and to better prequalify themselves before they buy. Consumers can visit your website to look at inventory, financing options, pricing, assessments, trade appraisals, and reviews all before they buy.

So now that we’ve determined that educating your consumers is indeed important, what are some of the more specific things? Read on to find out!

Product Features
 

One of the first things I’ll be discussing in regards to consumer education are product features. Given how much of an investment vehicle purchases are, many consumers are rightfully choosy about every aspect of that investment. With all the features that many newer cars possess (Navigation systems, bluetooth functionality, rearview cameras, etc.), many OEM’s are fighting to develop the coolest and most useful car features for their consumers. That being said, there are a dizzying number of vehicles to choose from.

If your goal is to educate consumers on vehicle product features, make sure that information is in the limelight. Organize your pages so that those features are being highlighted, and if applicable, develop some multi-media to describe their functionality -- videos, images, etc.

Now, if you want to go the extra mile, one thing you can do is leverage videos and images to discuss individual product features -- features that you think would most entice your consumers. Explain the purpose of these features and of course, describe all the possible benefits of such product features.

Pricing

The next item that most dealership consumers like being educated on is pricing. Sure, you might think to yourself “Cool. All I need to do is slap a price on a piece of inventory and then we’re good to go” -- but educating consumers on pricing is far deeper than that. While consumers like dealers to be straight-forward about their inventory pricing (after all, they primarily wanna know if they can afford it), many are still apprehensive about the real cost of their vehicle.

Regardless of whether or not they can afford the vehicle or not, consumers don’t want to be swindled… therefore, as a dealer, it’s important for you to not just be upfront about the cost, but about how you managed to calculate that price to begin with.

Using multimedia formats like infographics, animated gifs and video, your dealership can explain in detail how that price was calculated. Describe the features that make the vehicle unique and valuable. Describe what type of vehicle it is, and how much they typically cost. And if it’s a used vehicle, explain how the car’s history impacts that final price. The point here is that this type of information needs to be absolutely clear to the consumer. By educating a consumer on exact price calculations, you stand a FAR better chance of earning their trust -- and using multimedia to describe those calculations will keep their attention.

Financing Options

The last, and arguably, most important thing that consumers want to be educated on are your dealership’s financing options. Assuming most folks are going to pay for a car upfront with cold, hard cash, chances are good that your consumers are going to need to take out a loan, lease their vehicle or trade-in their current vehicle.

While most dealerships have financing information on their websites (yours probably does too), but detailed is that information? Does it list off different interest rate ranges? Does it describe the factors that go into appraising a vehicle? Does it explain that certain things could have an impact on whether or not you get approved for a loan? The list goes on.

When it comes to matters of finance (or financing, more specifically), things can get complicated really quickly -- and that means your consumers will likely have lots of different questions. Even if you expect that many of your consumers will come to your dealership with specific questions, why not attempt to answer more common (but complicated) questions ahead of time?

Set up a Frequently Asked Questions section specifically for financial matters -- or better yet, set up an entire educational section devoted to different financing options. Provide up-to-date policies & interest rates, definitions, and explanations. And if you want to go the extra mile, provide calculators that let consumers assess their current financial situation -- that way they can conduct better research.

You don’t want to overwhelm your consumers with information right off the bat, but you definitely should not leave anything out. Allow consumers the opportunity to keep clicking to explore and learn more about specific features.

Remember: Consumers today want a two-way conversation as they engage with your brand. So don’t hit them with everything at once, but rather reveal more information as they delve deeper into your site.

 

Even though your consumers may not understand all information presented to them on your website, that’s okay. If anything, that opens the door for a conversation with your sales team, further making your dealership an even more valuable resource. It’s better to make it clear you have nothing to hide, and are open to be asked questions!

Educating consumers visiting your website on specific features is a key way to build their trust in your dealership. So don’t be afraid to share any and all information you have, and use your website as a sales tool to arm your customers with knowledge so they can come into your showroom well-informed and with a sense of trust.