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Tariffs on parts and imported cars don’t mark the industry’s demise.

The pandemic gave us a brutal reminder that the automotive industry has always been at the forefront of large-scale disruptions. When the first lockdowns hit, manufacturers, suppliers, and dealers scrambled to predict the future. Would supply chains ever recover? Would consumer behavior permanently change?

When Miguel Vasquez moved from downtown Dallas to the suburbs, he quickly realized he’d closed the books on his walking and public transportation days. 

After weighing his options, he decided it was time to start his car-buying journey. 

Miguel was in the market for a used car and determined to adhere to his budget. Like many people, Miguel was buying a car out of necessity and needed to do some online research to determine what kind of car would fit his needs. 

“Online window shopping helped me compare multiple vehicles at the same time. I wanted to see if anything caught my eye, plus easily view features, specs, and prices. I did some perusing at the dealership, too,” Vasquez says. 

Does the thought of selling accessories get you bent out of shape? When it comes to presenting personalization at the point of sale, there’s a process you can follow to the letter to snap you back.

Even dealerships that throw accessories at the wall to see what sticks make money. While a haphazard approach isn’t sustainable and surely not the best way to do things, accessories just hold their own. 

Your customers are hard-wired to personalize. That’s the facts—so if you opt not to offer accessories out of fear of losing the sale or confusion on how to do it, your customer will head to the aftermarket vendor down the street. 

Keep your money in-house. Ensure your customer is getting OE accessories (under warranty) installed by factory-certified technicians. And then reap the benefits! 

"Tracking orders and communication between departments is great—it holds people accountable with the new reports that are available."

- Peter Boothe, GM at Wild East Town Honda

When you think of selling accessories at the point of sale, your first thought may be dollars and cents. While profit is a major benefit of selling accessories, there are other aspects of an accessory process that can benefit your dealership at a high level. 

Accessories do more than increase front-end gross, boost CSI scores, reduce turnover, and create repeat business. And they're more than a resource for making customers sticky or benefiting fixed operations.

In today’s dynamic automotive industry, car dealerships are no longer only about selling vehicles; they’re the gateway to an experience and avenue of self-expression. 

Enhancing the car buying experience with accessories isn’t a secret sauce. It’s a proven process, and anybody can do it. Drivers crave a vehicle that integrates with their lifestyle, offering cutting-edge features that go beyond the ordinary. Car dealerships have a golden opportunity to cater to this demand by strategically presenting and selling accessories. The truth is, if dealerships don’t meet the demand, customers will seek out aftermarket accessories somewhere else.