If you don’t have the vehicle your customer wants, you could lose them to a competitor. In this edition of DealerOn University, we show you how to keep your customers engaged on your website, even if you don’t have the exact vehicle they are searching for.
Custom vehicle ordering keeps your customers engaged on your website and away from the competition.
“Necessity is the mother of invention” has never been truer for the automotive industry.
Supply-chain issues have forced dealerships and OEMs to pivot to a low inventory model, and dealership website experiences have been unable to keep up. Despite rising interest rates and increasing prices, demand for vehicles remains high, forcing dealership websites to show customers the dreaded zero inventory screen for many vehicle searches.
The good news? Car buyers are willing to custom order their vehicle if you don’t have exactly what they are looking for on your lot.
A Rapidly Changing Vehicle Sales Environment
According to a recent study, more than 40% of shoppers plan to pre-order their next vehicle through their local dealer. These numbers point to a dramatic shift in customer behavior that has fundamentally changed the industry. The lack of available stock combined with increasing comfort in online vehicle shopping has made customers pickier.
A customer who doesn’t find the car they want isn’t going to settle, especially when paying a premium for their vehicle. Do you think they will keep coming back to your website to see if their dream vehicle is in stock? Not a chance. They’re going to head to your competition.
According to a recent study, more than 40% of shoppers plan to pre-order their next vehicle through their local dealer.
Complicating matters further is the fact that dealerships could be operating with limited inventory for the foreseeable future. Even when supply chain issues are resolved, your dealership or OEM could choose to cut costs by operating on a low inventory model. “Dealers and automakers have found some real benefits to having less inventory — in terms of profits, margins, being able to plan a little bit better and not having to spend so much on incentives,” according to Jessica Caldwell, Executive Director of Insights at Edmunds.
These changes to our industry mean the status quo of dealership sites that exist only to showcase the vehicles currently on the lot is broken. To remain competitive, your dealership needs a convenient way for customers to custom order the exact vehicle with the exact specifications that they desire.
Keep Customers Away From the Competition
DealerOn’s new product, Order-A-Vehicle, tackles this problem head-on with a focus toward an enhanced user experience for your customers, and lead driving tech for you. No matter what you have in stock, Order-A-Vehicle keeps your customers on your site and their leads in your pocket.
Order-A-Vehicle is natively integrated into your DealerOn website and designed from the ground up to be mobile friendly, providing a seamless experience for your customers no matter what device they are browsing on. It’s built on the same technology that many Tier 1 vehicle ordering systems are built on, so you can trust that the data you are using is completely accurate.
When you offer custom vehicle ordering you are able to turn zero inventory search results into opportunities.
Now, when your customers can’t find the vehicle they are searching for, you can guide them to your Order-A-Vehicle application, where they are free to build the vehicle of their dreams. In addition to your zero inventory search results, you can place an Order-A-Vehicle call-to-action button on your homepage, nav menu, and model research pages.
How Custom Vehicle Ordering Works
When your customers arrive at the Order-A-Vehicle application, they gain the ability to build the exact vehicle they want, down to the last detail. This includes make (if you have multiple in your store), model, color, trim, package, and accessories.
While selecting their vehicle trim, your customers will be shown high-resolution exterior and interior photography, giving them a detailed look at their custom vehicle. Each trim and package option can be expanded to view the unique list of features. At every stage of the process the price quote instantly updates, allowing the customer to evaluate their choices in real-time.
With Order-A-Vehicle, your customers will be able to fully customize their vehicle down to the last detail.
Once your customer has finished building their vehicle, they can view their selections on the final offer summary screen and go back to make any necessary changes. To finalize their vehicle offer they fill out a quick and easy lead form.
At the end of the process, your customer has an offer with an accurate quote on the vehicle of their dreams. You get a detailed lead sent directly to your CRM, a lead that’s as easy to close as a single phone call.
Add Order-A-Vehicle to Your Website Today
Now, more than ever, your customers need the ability to build, price, and order vehicles when they can’t find what they are looking for. If they come to your website searching for a specific vehicle and end up staring at zero inventory pages, you will likely lose them as a customer.
Give your customers the power to build their dream vehicle with Order-A-Vehicle, available exclusively from DealerOn.
With Order-A-Vehicle available on your website, that will no longer be a problem for your dealership. Your customers will be able to quickly and easily custom order the vehicle of their dreams at their convenience, directly from your website.
Order-A-Vehicle from DealerOn is the next step in automotive retailing. Schedule your Order-A-Vehicle demo today and we’ll show you the power of native custom vehicle ordering on your website.
Learn More About Order-A-Vehicle
Thank you for taking the time to write such a comprehensive and insightful article. It was a great read.