Your potential clients are always online - that’s nothing new. After all, why wouldn’t they be? A single search and a few clicks is all it takes for them to find all the options they will ever need for services and products that they are looking for. These same customers can conduct their entire research process online, making them exceptionally educated in making their purchasing choices.
However, regardless of how high-tech online shops can get, there are still some purchases that requires the customers’ presence in person.
Before online shopping and researching became a thing like it is today, most car shoppers would shop for cars fully within showrooms, requiring visits to various different showrooms before they decide on one to purchase. Today, an average new car buyer visits only two car dealerships before they finalize their purchase.
Since these potential buyers can now research and compare different car brands and models online, these buyers are already very educated about the entire buying process, so auto dealerships now need to step up their game and adjust their buying experience accordingly.
What A Car Dealership In Texas Did to Adapt to Modernized Car Purchasing Experience
Source: https://youtu.be/d9AHfjeq_p4
Let’s just say that Park Place has optimized their website to shorten the time required for their customers to get the keys to their new cars at their dealerships.
Park Place recognizes the fact their potential customers initiates their first contact with them online, long before they decide to step into available showrooms for their next purchasing step.
Customers Purchase 2x Faster When They Engage With Park Place’s Website As Compared to Other Auto Internet Sources
The revolutionary move that Park Place took was to add a ‘Path to Purchase’ tool onto their site, allowing potential customers to complete up to 80% of their purchase online. Throughout this entire process, customers can always go for the chat option to talk to a Park Place consultant if they need any help. The purchase pathway was broken down into 6 steps as detailed below.
Source: https://youtu.be/q9BA1NIS7c4
Step 1: Customers can browse their preferred vehicle models and choose one.
Step 2: Customers obtain instant pricing and financing options.
Step 3: Customers can enter their credit score to explore possible financial solutions.
Step 4: Enter your trade-in for instant redemption (if you are planning to).
Step 5: Include add-ons such as extended warranty, insurance or others.
Step 6: Submit information and schedule a meeting with a sales experience manager to finalize purchase and collect your keys. Car can also be delivered to customers’ home or office.
Notice how most of a car buyer’s worries and needs are addressed with this Path to Purchase?
Outstanding move, Park Place! They were very well rewarded by prioritizing their customers’ purchasing journey too!
Park Place’s Customer-centric Path to Purchase Tool Increased Online Car Purchase by 23%
Park Place did not just create and implement their tool on their website. They were also aware of the importance of mobile accessibility and searches.
In fact, 60% of automotive searches are from mobile devices.
This is why Park Place gave their mobile site a makeover so that their users can directly call the sales team, schedule their next servicing appointment, or get directions to the closest dealership near them.
Their results? Over 15,000 directions-related visits and 12,000 click-to-calls on a monthly basis.
Park Place’s Paid Search Strategy
Needless to say, most online users would use searches as their research tool when purchasing a car. They placed higher bids for in-market audience for new cars and for car-related searches.They also bid higher for mobile users to reach more mobile users, in accordance to the higher search rates for automotives on mobile devices.
How Park Place Measured Their Online Marketing Results
Rather than focusing only on the lower funnels such as lead generation or purchases, their marketing team switched their perspectives and started to look at offline visits to their stores, which was achievable via Google’s Store Visits. This feature is only open to a number of Google advertisers due to its requirements, but Park Place was able to meet them all and utilize this function.Quoting Kennedy Gibson, the director of digital marketing for Park Place dealerships, he said, “One in five people that click on our paid search ads end up visiting one of our dealerships, which just proves to us that we are putting our ads in the right place.”
Key Takeaway from Park Place's Marketing Efforts & Results
Improving potential customers’ online browsing experience and creating a seamless experience for them can prepare them better for visits to showrooms and your physical stores. Don’t make the mistake of assuming that online experiences do not drive offline results!Source: https://goo.gl/a6obH2
