Discover how to boost conversions with better website design and experience. Learn why shoppers leave, what eCommerce leaders get right, and how to create trust-driven digital experiences that sell more cars.
By delivering a seamless, transparent, and personalized shopping experience that mirrors top eCommerce leaders, dealers can turn browsers into buyers and stay competitive in today’s market.
The traditional road to the sale once began in the showroom: with a meet and greet, a walkaround, a test drive, and hopefully, a deal. Today, that journey starts long before a customer ever steps on the lot. From research to comparison shopping, buyers are completing much of their journey online, making your website the new showroom and the first stop on their path to purchase.
Your website is your digital storefront in the largest marketplace in human history. To effectively sell vehicles, you need to optimize your site’s user experience (UX), from the moment a customer lands on any one of your pages.
Engagement First, Conversion Will Follow
Modern shoppers have a variety of needs, from personalization, user-friendly navigation, transparency and more. Customers shop for a vehicle every 3-5 years (if we are lucky). They shop online, however, every day. As eCommerce has become a ubiquitous part of modern life, online megastores like Amazon have set consumer expectations that dealer websites must align with.
What Dealers Can Learn from eCommerce Leaders
Shoppers today value convenience above all else. In fact, 76% say they choose brands that make browsing easier, and 81% expect a seamless cross-device experience.* Take the lessons of the best-performing eCommerce sites and focus on:
- Building transparency and trust by including details of your pricing models and including reviews from customers
- Making your site appealing to the eye and easy to navigate
- Providing high-quality photos, videos, and 360° spins of all available vehicles
- Including personalized elements, such as vehicle recommendations, comparison tools, and targeted offers
- Optimizing for a mobile-first shopping experience as this will be the primary source of your traffic
Turning Browsers into Buyers
The Search Results Page (SRP) and Vehicle Details Page (VDP) are the first stop for over 60% of most shoppers, and these pages function as the meet-and-greet, walkaround, and test drive steps in the road to the sale. Providing the optimal experience with inventory means:
Providing the optimal experience with inventory pages means:
- Doing away with clutter to highlight what matters most to the shopper
- Present comprehensive vehicle details, especially for EVs (battery range, charging info, incentives)
- Include trust-building content like reviews, dealer awards, and guarantees
- Feature timely specials, clearly displayed and easy to redeem
The Road Ahead for Dealers
Successful retailers need to embrace the modern obsession with convenience, providing a site with ample personalization, a seamless shopping experience, and transparent pricing. Dealerships that do this will be well-positioned in the future.
Want to take a deeper dive into these strategies? Learn how to increase conversions by improving the customer experience in our recent DealerOn webinar.
References
https://www.shipbob.com/blog/online-consumer-behavior/
https://www.linnworks.com/blog/ecommerce-trends-survey/
