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If COVID-19 hasn’t convinced car dealers of the necessity of a vibrant online retail presence, maybe Cyber Monday 2020 will. Even before the pandemic, Cyber Monday was growing as the virtual twin (literally!) of Black Friday. Cyber Monday emerged as shoppers logged online the Monday after Thanksgiving to check store websites for any missed deals from Black Friday. 

Adobe Analytics, a marketing data software company, is predicting—in spite of or due to the pandemic—that Cyber Monday 2020 (Nov. 30) will garner $12.7 billion in online sales, up from the $9.4 billion in e-commerce in 2019.

Don’t even try to spook anyone this Halloween. We’re all in a state of hyper-vigilance from 2020, and masks aren’t amusing anymore. When you greet your customers in October just give them some apple cider and a hug. We’ve all been through enough.

Instead, deliver a memorable car-buying experience by lavishing your people with sweet goodness. Vehicle Personalization is all treats and no tricks for everyone involved. From your customer to your General Manager, accessories give everyone just what they want. 

If there’s one thing we’ve learned from the first half of 2020, it’s that toilet paper was never the answer.

That in mind, we press on, looking first to survive, then creatively thrive. July, which is about level four of Jumanji, has presented a game advantage in the form of a delayed tax day. After a few difficult months, a final wave of income tax returns makes it possible for consumers to take the bait on a new vehicle. America threw us a bone and we’re going to accessorize it.

We could all use a boost to our bottom line right now. 

We could probably use a week off social media, a tropical vacation, and some yoga too, but I digress. With summer ablaze, car dealers have more than a day at the beach on their minds. In the midst of a global pandemic inciting mayhem in our industry, we must soak up every cent of seasonal summer accessories. Say that five times fast.

As COVID-19 shut down America as we knew it, extroverts all across America found themselves taking refuge in their cars. What started with just taking a drive, turned into eating take-out in the driveway. Before we knew what was happening, kids’ birthday parties morphed into drive-by parades. Campgrounds closed and truck beds became the go-to spot for a night under the stars.

Ahh, Valentine's Day. Love is in the air—$18.2 billion worth. America is love sick, and it’s time the automotive industry snatched that love out of the air and put it on the road. Love is blind but car buyers are not, and there are plenty of personalization options to shower those new car purchases with TLC. Implement these tips this Valentine’s Day to make your buyer feel special and show your staff some love.

[Updated 11/12/2020]

The stampede is coming, and they’re ready to break the internet. The Black Friday crowd has gone virtual. If 2020 has already set records in e-commerce, imagine the impact of the biggest shopping day of the year. With all the online activity, the day after Thanksgiving is basically just the warm up for Cyber Monday.

Yes, the opportunists are charging their laptops on Black Friday eve, ready to kick this thing off with new car smells. Make this car-shopping season spark joy with mega-profit potential, stellar CSI scores, and repeat business. I hope you upgraded your internet package.

In all the activity, don’t let Vehicle Personalization get lost. You cut your legs out from under yourself when you bypass accessories. This high volume day is the ideal environment for accessory sales, and can even be used to temper the flow online and in store.

Here’s three things Vehicle Personalization can do in the hustle and bustle.

You know what’s terrifying? The amount of high fructose corn syrup America will eat today.

There’s something more horrifying. Dealerships that are still focusing all their efforts on adding profit and neglecting the customer experience.

This Halloween, lavish every customer that darkens your doors with sweet goodness--even the witchy ones.

Amazon. The Colossus of Clout, the 6th love language, and the number one competitor to your dealership’s accessory program. Amazon Prime is over a hundred million users strong, and commonly raking in over a billion dollars on Prime day alone. How could your locally-owned dealership compete with Mother Earth? The same way you eat an elephant. One bite at a time. 

Once upon a time, Vehicle Personalization met football and fell in love. The two were married in a dealership overlooking a college stadium and began their lives together. Soon, they welcomed a baby, named Tailgating, and it would change the world.