Blog

The rapid adoption of automotive digital retailing kept the doors open for many stores in 2020. Raking in over $230 billion, experts predict explosive growth in automotive digital retailing throughout the decade. Today, it's more important than ever to outfit your website with advanced digital retailing capabilities to cater to the masses online. Digital retailing is more than pictures of a car and a contact form; it's the ability to buy a car from start to finish online. 

Dealerships can no longer avoid digital retailing if they want to compete in today’s market. As the industry adapts, dealerships can avoid common mistakes that will affect their online sales.

The pandemic rocketed the automotive industry forward one to three years in accepting digital retailing. Years before COVID, we knew Carvana and Vroom were changing the way consumers bought cars. The option to buy online affected dealerships some, however, we weren’t comparing apples to apples.

Consumers did, and still do like to sit in a car before they buy it. With the majority of customers buying cars traditionally, online retailing was a secondary focus. Just one year ago, merely having a web inventory and an active social media presence made your store competitive in the digital space.

Well, now, everything’s changed.

Why Does Automotive Digital Retailing Matter? 

Google published some astonishing statistics about online buyers. Their data showed that 84% of Americans are shopping for something in any 48-hour period. Additionally, 63% of all shopping began online. The research went further, examining trends when people buy specific products. Those in the market for a car took to Google to gather information. Said consumers ranged from 20 to 68 years old. Over time, these shoppers researched the best dealership, brand, and trade-in online. We can infer the end result. The consumer likely bought a car they chose from their research. The vehicle was likely purchased from a highly-rated dealership, also found online. 

Cut the fluff. We might be shutting down again.

This time, rather than lamenting, we focus on preparation. In the end, if everything is able to stay open, we’re only that much more prepared to do business.

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.