It’s fair to say that things have changed when it comes to the purchase of a car. Now more than ever, auto dealers are hyperaware of how much consumers dislike the process and how much power they have to choose the dealership that offers the right blend of customer service, inventory and price. As a result, dealership managers have made drastic changes to improve the in-store purchase experience to fit consumer expectations.

Today, when you walk into a dealership, you often get a personal greeting from the first person who sees you, a more consultant-like sales experience, and an improved in-store environment that includes comfortable waiting areas, Wi-Fi, playrooms, giant TVs, and cafés.

Changing your showroom environment takes a significant capital and time investment, something that is increasingly required in order to go above and beyond the shopping expectations of today’s consumers.

Everyone in the industry is working to change the old perception of a super slick salesman and putting customer service first. Dealers have learned that with top-notch customer engagement, they’ll reap long-term loyalty and additional revenue from service and word-of-mouth referrals.

So why haven’t dealership websites kept pace with dealership showrooms?

It’s ironic that the Internet — the very thing that helped force changes in dealer showrooms —- now more closely resemble the perception of a 1980’s sales “slickster”… with offers being shouted at website visitors from all directions. In the era of the “expert researcher,” dealer websites can often be a weak link in the process, especially considering that consumers expect the same easy, personalized and informative experience whether shopping for a razor or looking to spend $50,000 on a vehicle.

Dealer websites often don’t measure up. The experience can feel like seven different sales people shouting seven different offers all at once in the hopes of getting a lead. It’s gone from “What do I have to do to get you in this car today?” to “What do I have to do to get your lead today?” Shoppers feel dealer websites are designed to trap them into giving up information so they can become a target of a salesperson (the industry even uses the word “capture” when discussing consumers and the goal of websites).  

In short, many dealers optimize their website around the transaction, thinking if they point everything towards making a purchase “now,” it will shorten the sales cycle. Unfortunately, that’s not what wins over today’s expert researcher. In fact, let’s just bust that myth right now: roughly half of the traffic on an average dealership’s website is from consumers who aren’t in the buy phase of the shopping journey. Yet despite this, the entire website experience is set up to display product and price, and then delivers a series of lead traps. All of which can scare consumers away, resulting in “lead trap avoidance” because they feel like prey.

Lead trap avoidance

Dealers have tried to solve this with interactive experiences like a trade appraisal tool or chat, but instead of creating a great experience, they remain too focused on capturing a lead. Consumers often discover a chat feature that is nothing more than a way to capture information and have a salesperson call them.

Consumers are savvy enough to know that the interactive experiences they are getting aren’t there to help them make an informed decision but are, in essence, a fancier “trap”. The same can be said of some of digital retailing tools that lack true integration and connectivity, forcing web visitors to re-input details and info at every turn.

Not the Experience Consumers Want

Just imagine what it would happen if this online scenario played out in the showroom: multiple sales reps shouting multiple offers, never remembering the customer’s name, and attempting to trick them into a random car at every turn.

Needless to say the result would be counterproductive considering that the best way to create a lead is by providing value to the expert researcher – without requiring an interaction with a salesperson.

The consumer-researcher will gladly hand over reams of information, but only if they get valuable information in return. This data doesn’t come from a salesperson call, but instead from a research-friendly website designed to provide a stepping stone to the dealership showroom.