According to new data from Cobalt’s car-buyer intelligence database, car-shoppers visit a minimum of eight dealer websites, with some visiting as many as twenty in a single day. With so much competition, what’s a dealer to do to win the sale?
Start by putting yourself in the consumer’s shoes. We’ve all fallen victim to “couch coma comparison shopping,” where you mindlessly click from website-to-website, browsing the endless array of options the Internet provides. How can you stop your click-happy customers from bypassing you completely?
Couch Coma Kryptonite: A Commanding Dealer Website
What is couch coma’s kryptonite? A strong and commanding competitive message. You have to stop consumers in their tracks with an irresistible dealer website that makes them want to stop their browsing and run down to buy from your dealership (after they’ve changed out of their boxers, hopefully.)
A differentiated site takes work, but it’s worth it. Additional data demonstrates that today’s car-shoppers are easy pickings for the differentiated dealer. Our new eBook found that 60% of consumers haven’t selected a make and model, and 64% of shoppers visiting your dealer website will purchase within 60 days.
Translation: these shoppers are in-market, undecided, and looking for something that’s going to catch their eye and put their mindless web surfing to rest. All you have to do is be the dealer that stands out from the pack.
That said, there is a right way and a wrong way to differentiate. Differentiating your website does not mean adding flaming rockets to the home page, or adding your favorite song to a Flash intro. Even sharing biographical facts about yourself, such as the fact that you are a third-generation dealer, is not as impactful as differentiating yourself through your key value propositions i.e: largest inventory selection in your area, award-winning customer service, competitive pricing.
Don’t make it about you; make it about the consumer.
How to Differentiate your Dealership Website
- Full-website SEO. Think beyond the homepage. Optimize for non-branded terms like parts and services to ensure you are showing up in every search. If consumers are shopping eight websites, you want to be one of them!
- Flexible Modern Design. Don’t settle for a cookie-cutter website. With consumers shopping so many dealer websites, an eye-catching design, compelling content, and gadget-compatibility is a must.
- Retargeting-As car-shoppers leave your site and go on to check out other dealer websites, stay top-of-mind with retargeting ads that entice them to return.
To find out more about real car-shopper behavior and how to differentiate your dealer website, download the full eBook “The Guide to the Modern Car-Shopper: Connecting the Dots from Their Screens to Your Lots.”
